The voice for all Airmen

Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Roy

Remarks at his appointment as 16th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C., June 30, 2009

Secretary Donley and General Schwartz, thank you for having the faith in me to serve as the 16th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force. I'd also like to thank Admiral and Mrs. Keating for their leadership and friendship. Ms Paula and I are in awe everyday due to your compassion and kindness.

Mrs. Schwartz, General and Mrs. Fraser, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force and Mrs. McKinley, Sergeant Major of the Army and Mrs. Preston, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Kent, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Bowen, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force McCoy.

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Binnicker, Mrs. Murray, other distinguished guests, and fellow Airmen - you honor Ms. Paula and me with your presence. 

Many of Ms Paula and my family and friends are here today...we appreciate you all making the trip and we thank you for your love and unwavering support.

A special thank you to my wonderful wife, Paula, and my amazing sons Caleb and Colby for your continuous love and support; I wouldn't be here without you. To express my appreciation, I have a few gifts to present. Paula, please accept these flowers as a token of my love and thankfulness.

Mom, please accept these flowers as a thank you for your support over the years. Also, I present flowers to my sister with grateful appreciation and love. I also have a little something for my terrific boys, Caleb and Colby. Thank you both for all you do to help dad. I also need to thank the thousands of people over two and a half decades of service who have shaped me along the way.

I am truly humbled and honored to follow Chief McKinley as the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force. Rod has been a good friend, mentor and leader whom I've respected for many, many years. The Air Force is a better service for having him as our top enlisted leader.

I would also like to thank Paula McKinley for all she has done to care for our Airmen and their families. She has been at the forefront of numerous quality of service and military family initiatives and we appreciate very much her caring and dedication.

Ms Paula and I look forward to continuing the progress the McKinley's have made over the past few years, while standing ready to tackle whatever opportunities face our Air Force in the future.

As I stand here, we have more than 400,000 total force enlisted Airmen serving our country. I will take great personal responsibility in advising Air Force senior leadership on the readiness, proper utilization, welfare and progress of our stellar enlisted force. I look forward to traveling across the world to look every Airmen in the eye to tell them how extremely proud I am they have chosen the United States Air Force as a profession. 

I also want to see the issues impacting them and the mission from their perspective. I will address their concerns and recommend solutions to the headquarters staff while working with our senior leaders to better the lives of our Airmen and their families.

As the voice of the enlisted, my priorities will reflect the Air Force's priorities.
Coming from a joint command, I know first-hand that partnering with the joint and coalition team to win today's fight is of the utmost importance. Our Airmen are doing a superb job.

We need to make sure they are fully trained and equipped to execute the mission in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Philippines. We will continue to support the joint and coalition team. Our teammates are looking to Airmen to seamlessly integrate in order to win the two wars in which we are engaged. We're doing that now, and we will continue to explore ways to be more effective.

We must also develop and care for Airmen and their families. Supporting our tens of thousands of Airmen deployed are the family members who keep the home fires burning. We must continue taking time to care for and honor our commitment to our families.

Additionally, as we continue to seek better ways to meet the needs of our overseas deployed and deployed-in-place Airmen, we must also take care of the Airmen who are contributing at home. Whether these Airmen are standing watch at our base gates in-garrison, or providing health care for our families, or taking on additional roles for a deployed coworker, our Airmen across the globe are working diligently to keep pace with our intense operations and personnel tempo.

One area that will receive a lot of my time and energy is keeping the promise to care for our wounded warriors, their families and the families of our fallen Airmen. These groups face many challenges every day and it is our responsibility to consistently provide support. I want these Warriors and families to know we will continue to fight for their welfare and be their Wingman.

Our Airmen will continue to face challenging times in the years ahead. As the top enlisted Airman, I will focus on being the voice of all our Airmen... officer, enlisted and civilian alike.

I will be fully engaged to ensure they have the right tools and resources to continue to fly, fight and win...in air, space, and cyberspace anytime, anyplace. Again, thank you Secretary Donley and General Schwartz for this opportunity. You and our outstanding Airmen will receive my total commitment and effort! I look forward to serving as your Wingman and the Wingman of our force.

May God bless all of us as we defend our great nation.

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