Congratulations to Travis promotees

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Carol Johnson
  • 60th AMW interim command chief
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Congratulations to all of you who were recently promoted; 76 master sergeants and 97 technical sergeants. You should be proud of this awesome accomplishment and in the trust Air Force has in you to perform at the next higher level.

For those of you who didn't get a line this time, be patient, keep studying and keep your job performance up. Before long you too will have a line number—don't lose faith.

As senior non-commissioned officers, you will be expected to train junior NCOs to replace you. Teach them all that you know so they too, can be successful. You must train them to be better than yourself in this climate of conflict and uncertainty. You must continue to motivate your troops and encourage them to be innovative in how they accomplish their jobs. Continue to strive for perfection, while listening attentively to their suggestions and problems.

To each of our new technical sergeants, most of you will now be transitioning down a new path. You will now become more of a manager while maintaining your technical proficiency. Go steady and slow, don't push too fast to jump into this new role. If you haven't had the opportunity to learn from a more senior NCO, take time to do so.

Volunteer to take on more opportunities to lead/manage and hone in your skills. Before long you'll be ready for that next level of responsibility, your next stripe.

Promotees, many of you will be placed into positions where you will call the shots. Your judgment should be concise and sound. Don't be afraid to ask for advice; this is how most of us have learned. Your troops will be looking to you for the answers. Don't be afraid to say you don't know—then find out! Don't be afraid to make a decision, even if it turns out to be the wrong one. Hopefully you will learn from your mistakes and this too will make you a stronger NCO. Leadership needs to know we can count on you to take the lead and successfully make things happen.

Enjoy your moment but don't sit back and relax too long. Before you know it you'll be testing again for your next stripe. Will you be as ready for that one? Let me help you set some new goals. Senior NCOs have you enrolled in SNCO Academy yet? If not, do so and don't procrastinate in completing it. You will need this to stay competitive for senior master sergeant. Additionally, master sergeant and technical sergeant selects, have you completed your CC AF? I urge you to do so. The Air Force is now looking at making this a new mandatory requirement for enlisted promotions to senior master sergeant and chief master sergeant. Right now your peers are driving this requirement. The numbers support raising the bar and the current tuition assistance is the best available, 100 percent. Air Force statistics show over 43,000 enlisted personnel have completed an associate degree or equivalent semester hours. There are over 11,039 who have completed bachelor's degree and some have completed degrees even higher. Our education levels are changing which means the competition will be steeper. Don't get caught short—stay competitive, finish your education.

Again, I want to congratulate each of you on your recent promotion—well done! We look forward to seeing great things from you! Go ahead and step into your stripe…I know you're ready!

The following are the Air Force and AMC selection rates:

The technical sergeant promotion rate was 16.76 percent selection for the Air Force, 15.14 percent for AMC and 16.83 percent at Travis. Of 41,186 eligible for technical sergeant in the Air Force, 6,904 were selected.

The master sergeant promotion rate was 19.85 percent selection for the Air Forcer, 19.27 percent for AMC and 21.87 percent at Travis. Of 23,230 eligible for master sergeant in the Air Force, 4,613 were selected.