FORT LEE, Va. (June 4, 2014) -- Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody toured the 345th Training Squadron facilities here Friday and spent much of the afternoon visiting with Airmen and discussing professionalism and future career opportunities amid a downsizing military force.
Cody -- the branch's top enlisted member -- learned about the services and transportation career field training courses offered at Fort Lee. The trip featured lunch with tech school students and 345th TRS leadership, and a tour through the Air Force portion of the Joint Culinary Center of Excellence, the dormitory and the Air Force Transportation schoolhouse.
Cody presented a personal coin to four Airmen for their outstanding service. They are Tech. Sgt. Jason Daley, a military training leader; Tech. Sgt. Zaleana McCain, a military training leader; Tech. Sgt. Faeisha Watson, a services instructor; and Tech. Sgt. Joseph Lathwood, a transportation instructor.
During his tour of the JCCoE, Cody spent time with Airmen who were learning to prepare desserts. He shared his love of cooking with them and answered their questions about the Air Force. As he left, he said he was very impressed with the training facilities here.
Cody held an Airmen's Call in the afternoon to thank permanent party troops for their dedication to the mission.
"Thanks for what you do every day," he said. "You create great Airmen to carry on this legacy and you do it with professionalism, a sense of dedication and commitment. You ensure the next group that replaces us is better than we are.
"I was really inspired to spend time with (the initial entry troops) and see how excited they are to be Airmen and how excited they are to be learning their new career fields," he said. "That doesn't just happen. It happens because you do your jobs the way you do."
Cody discussed a video he saw recently that featured two F-16s on a bombing run.
"All of a sudden, it stops," he said. "It rewinds really fast; all the way back to when we first came into the Air Force. It shows people in high school, the academy and college. It goes through all the basic training and job training. It goes through all of the career fields. It shows all the touch points for that (bombing) mission. It shows how, without every single Airman no matter what you do, that mission doesn't happen. That capability for our nation doesn't exist."
Due to budget constraints, the Air Force will reduce personnel to the lowest number since its creation, Cody noted, but the mission must continue.
"We are more engaged around the world today than we have ever been as a military, and we will be the smallest Air Force we've ever been," he said. "The longest sustained combat operations -- nearly 13 years -- in the history of our country … that's your Air Force. That's significant to say out loud. I don't know if we ever stop to think about it because we just get up and do what our Air Force says to do."
These challenges require today's Airmen to adhere to basic principles in order to keep the mission moving, said Cody.
"Our core values … are the foundation of what it means to serve today and what it means to have the privilege to put on this uniform," he said. "If (Airmen) can't live (by those core values), there's no place for them in our Air Force. We don't have the time to try and convince them why the core values are right and the importance of abiding by them. Do it or don't be here. It's just that simple."
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