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GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas – Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Cody, left, prepares to rappel down a 90-foot tower with Senior Airman Cody Carson, 312th Training Squadron firefighting student, center, and Chief Master Sgt. Thomas F. Good, 17th Training Wing Command Chief, right, at the Louis F. Garland Department of Defense Fire Academy April 3. Cody toured the fire academy and observed different aspects of fire protection training while visiting with staff and students. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Devin Boyer)
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17th
Training Wing Public Affairs
4/6/2015 -
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James
Cody, the 17th chief master sergeant of the Air Force, visited the 17th
Training Wing April 2 and 3.
The visit
was an opportunity for Chief Cody to meet face-to-face with Airmen, hear what
was on their minds and thank them on behalf of Secretary of the Air Force
Deborah L. James and Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen. Mark A. Welsh
III.
During the
visit, Cody and his wife, retired Chief Master Sgt. Athena Cody, toured the
base, met with Airmen and spoke about the changes of today's Air Force.
"What I
see here is the future," Cody said as he addressed Airmen of the wing.
"When I look at you and get to spend time with you and dialogue with you,
it always just reinforces the belief that the future is bright. It's bright because we have folks just like
you who are willing to continue to step in, where so few do. It's really inspiring and motivating."
Cody toured
the Louis F. Garland Department of Defense Fire Academy where he observed
different aspects of fire protection training and rappelled off a 90-foot tower
with Senior Airman Cody Carson, 312th Training Squadron firefighting student.
"I had
a great time," said Carson. "To see someone who has been in for so
long and is such an important part of the Air Force...you don't see them down
at our level a whole lot. It's something I can definitely take with me for the
rest of my career and say there was one time I got to rappel with the Chief
Master Sergeant of the Air Force."
After the
fire academy, Chief Cody visited the intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance facilities to visit with Air Force ISR professionals in
training.
"This
training really is vital to the future strength and security of our country and
our allies," he said. "It's a capability that is unrivaled around the
world, and it's integrated into nearly everything we do. We simply can't
execute the mission without it; that's partly due to the technology we have
today, but mostly, due to the Airmen we are training here; they are the
key."
Cody hosted
two all calls that gave Airmen the opportunity to ask questions on a variety of
topics including performance feedbacks and reports, developmental special
duties, force management and recent changes to Basic Military Training.
Cody
explained Airmen who graduate BMT often struggle to understand what just
happened to them, calling it, "the fog of BMT."
He proceeded
to explain how the final week of BMT is now a transition period that focuses on
teaching new Airmen resiliency skills and helping them comprehend what it means
to serve in the profession of arms.
"The
Capstone is about going beyond that initial development and expanding on core
character skills our Airmen need to be successful in our Air Force," he
said. "It's an opportunity for these Airmen to decompress, to take a step
back from the rigor of BMT and consider what it means to be an Airman, what we
demand of our Airmen and how we must treat each other: with dignity and
respect."
Cody's final
stop before his departure was at the Crossroads Student Center where he met and
talked with both permanent party and student Airmen. He even faced some
students and the 17th TRW Command Chief, Chief Master Sgt. Thomas F. Good, in a
friendly game of table tennis.
