Top enlisted leader to retire after 30 years

  • Published
  • By Philip Lorenz III
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  Superintendent of Arnold Engineering Development Center, Chief Master Sgt. Everett Smith III, is retiring from the Air Force after a 30-year career.

His retirement ceremony will be held Oct. 26 on base.

Reflecting on his time at AEDC, Chief Smith said one of his main goals while at Arnold was to give something back to the Air Force family.

"In my case, I felt this meant doing something to improve the quality of life for junior enlisted personnel as well as junior officer, but also for the base population - I felt that the Air Force family meant everybody here," he said.

He credited the junior force council and many others, including Air Force Sergeants Association, Aerospace Testing Alliance employees, for a number of quality of life improvement projects successfully completed during his tenure at AEDC.

"I do feel like I was successful in some ways in these endeavors," he said, describing his role as the facilitator of those projects.

He is particularly proud of his role in quality of life improvements on base.

"I found that one of the best things about being at Arnold was taking care of the people, trying to improve the quality of life for all the folks here," he said. "Our efforts went beyond the enlisted personnel, but it also went to the officers, our DoD civilians as well as the contractors - the lines between them seemed to blur."

One of his first quality of life improvement projects on base targeted break rooms for crafts workers, all in an effort to reach beyond just the military population. The quality of life projects he worked on included improvements to the base gym, making drinking water stations available on the running trails and many others, but he was particularly pleased with his efforts to make a difference for the youngest members of the base's population.

"I thought it was pretty incredible the way our Christmas party for the base's children went from around 35 to 40 up to about 500, including the children of contractors," he said. "Personally, I think it's the small things that can make a difference. That was a real morale boost seeing how everyone came together to make that happen. Seeing the smiles on those children's faces told it all - sometimes it takes children to spark that - to get everyone to work as a team."

Chief Smith said his career had many high points, but certain experiences stood out in particular.

"Certainly one highlight was making Chief Master Sgt.," he said. "Another was my most recent deployment to help out with the Global War on Terror."

He trained with 30 other Air Force personnel to relieve the Army in running a camp in the Middle East that ran convoys, provided security and support services for more than 600 troops from Army, Navy and some foreign coalition forces.

He said a lesson learned from his recent deployment also applied to his time at AEDC.

"One thing I learned while I was deployed is that it is one team, one fight, especially during this war on terror," he said. "At that point it didn't matter that I was Air Force on an Army camp, running their camp - the main thing was that we had to all work together to complete the mission we were assigned to do. The same is true here - we all have to work together as a team."

He also said another career experience left a lasting impression on him.

"At one point, I was selected to fly on B-52s as an in-flight mechanic and performed a complete pressurization system checkout at altitude on a KC-135. The tanker had experienced an in-flight emergency on a prior flight. The fact that these senior officers and pilots trusted an Airmen First Class to go through those systems during that flight was something I wouldn't have experienced outside the Air Force."

He said his time at Arnold was a good experience, but acknowledged that has been true throughout his career.

"My time here was a very positive experience," he said. "Every assignment I've ever had positive things have come out of it. I've never had a bad one, but this was a great assignment to be the senior ranking enlisted person on base and to help mentor the enlisted force as well as working with other people on the base."

He pointed out that he had positive mentorship from both enlisted and officers over his career and wanted to do the same for others.

As the most senior enlisted member on base, Chief Smith has some parting advice for the junior personnel reporting to AEDC.

"My advice would be to learn as much as you can, that many of our jobs here are one-deep types of positions," he said. "They will probably be asked to do some things in areas outside of their job specialties. They need to learn as much from that as they can and to bring that knowledge and experience back out to the rest of the Air Force."

Chief Smith said AEDC is an impressive place.

"I think we use the words, 'it's the best kept secret' around here," he said. "What impressed me the most about Arnold is the contribution we do make to the nation and beyond with our different test capabilities that are unique to anyplace else. I don't know if that is as well known to the general population - as to what happens at Arnold Air Force Base. Of course, I'm also impressed by the talented people here."

Regarding AEDC's active duty population, he said only the best come to the center.

"Great people get assignments here and when they leave the rest of the force benefits," he said.

Chief Smith said AEDC is faced with a challenge.

"The small number of military personnel here limits their exposure to other people at Arnold, including contractors and so forth," he said. "So, the challenge is we need to work as a team and not lose sight of the fact that we are indeed at war and we have to work together for that - we need to stay focused. What we do here will have a definite impact on the person who has to use equipment or fly a plane into combat and it has to work and work right."

He said the Air Force has an uphill battle to modernize its forces and take proper care of its people.

"I think one of our greatest challenges is, first of all, winning the war on terror, and the other one is modernizing and replacing out aging fleet of aircraft," he said. "When I first came in the Air Force, I worked with B-52s and we're still flying the same aircraft that I worked on years ago. We have to tackle that problem - to update our aircraft. One of the Air Force's top goals is to take care of our people. It's a serious challenge while you're at war to do both."

Chief Smith and his family have established Tullahoma as their home. He said there is some time between his last day at work and his final day in the Air Force to think about the future.

"I would like to do something service related - something still helping with the war effort in some capacity," he said. "Another thing I've been looking at the possibility of doing some teaching - maybe at the elementary or middle school level."

Chief Smith joined the Air Force through the delayed enlistment program in August 1977. Graduating from high school early, he started his career as a unit environmental systems repairman for the 410th Field Maintenance Squadron based at K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base, Mich., in 1978.

He has had a varied career which includes a background in aircraft systems maintenance, alert duties on the National Airborne Operations Center, test teams and as a group sergeant major/superintendent at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. During his career he has supported testing on B-2s, B-1s, B-52s, C-17s, C-141s, C-130s and T-39s.

His awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters, an Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, and an Air Force Achievement Medal. He also has received the Humanitarian Service Medal, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, the 1988 Strategic Air Command, General James H. Doolittle Project Warrior Award and in 2004 placed 3rd in the Bataan Memorial Death March, Men's Military Heavy Team Award.