Command chief lands: Hurlburt welcomes new Air Commando to its ranks

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Kelly Ogden
  • 1st SOW Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  When asked how he liked his new job, the new 1st Special Operations Wing command chief said, "It's a dream come true, the best job in the Air Force. It's not often that you get the opportunity to serve such an awesome wing of Air Commandos."

Chief Master Sgt. Jeffrey Richard-son, a 28-year Air Force veteran, arrived here from the 352nd Special Operations Group, RAF Mildenhall Feb. 28 for his second assignment as a command chief for special operations.

"My first impression of the wing was huge, with many integral parts and pieces (a 500 percent increase in personnel from his previous base)," Chief Richardson said. "The qualities of the people that I have encountered over just the past 48 hours are something that I would have come to expect, coming from a special operations base and command chief position, and that's dynamic, confident individuals who are ready to deliver combat power."

The chief hopes to bring an ability to create a vision for positive change that coincides with focusing resources on the right solutions.

"Hopefully, I bring the ability to inspire and motivate others," he said. "I am always looking for ways to provide opportunities for Airmen (officer and enlisted) for growth and learning. Last but not least, I think that I bring the ability to communicate with all the base populace and meet them all on their level, whether its officers, enlisted or civilians."

The chief's top three priorities coming into the command chief position include working with others by creating environments that inspire trust, teamwork, quality and pride; building trust through partnerships with all the organizations Hurlburt interacts with on a day-to-day basis; and embracing change with initiative, motivation, confidence and optimism.

Additionally, he expects three very important things from his Airmen. They should be able to communicate the good, bad and the ugly, and be good stewards of professionalism.

Airmen should also be role models for their peers and all Airmen in general. Last but not least, he expects them to seize all educational opportunities for professional development through professional military and off-duty education.

"Somebody once asked me how young Airmen could be role models. Well, they are; they are role models for their peers and role models for us," Chief Richardson said. "I met a young lady the other day serving in the base honor guard who had probably only been on active-duty for two years. She was motivated, proud and confident. There was a genuine pride pouring out of her. To me, that's a role model."

During his time in the command chief position, Chief Richardson would like to focus on getting 1st SOW personnel on a fully integrated deployment cycle where Air Commandos, even though they have to leave and spend a great deal of time on the road, are on a schedule.

He believes it's important for an individual to anticipate when they deploy and for how long, which increases morale. His second focus is developing consistent quality of life issues in regards to morale and military housing.

"I don't know what the future holds," the chief said. "At this point, I just want to do what I have been asked to do and that's to take care of the 1st SOW. I believe in fate. If you take care of your people and do your job, then your story has already been written for you."