Chief Master Sgt. selected for command

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Brok McCarthy
  • 75th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah --  Chief Master Sgt. Tammy S.S. Elliott, the 75th Mission Support Group chief enlisted manager, has been selected to be the command chief master sergeant of the 90th Space Wing at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo.

According to the Air Force Chief's Group, only 50 chief master sergeants are selected every year to be considered to become a command chief, and only half of those ever get to wear the command chief's chevrons.

"It's a huge honor to even make the cut," Chief Elliott said.

The process of being selected to be a command chief starts about one year after pinning on E-9, when a person elects to meet a board to be put on the list for command chief.

After their name is put on the list to be a command chief, the chief is agreeing that he or she will serve as a command chief anywhere in the world regardless of what their personal preferences may be.

The chief is a perfect example of this. She never considered trying to get stationed at F.E. Warren, but now that she has been selected to go there, she's happy she is.

"After going there for my interview, I was very grateful I was notified later that week I got the job because once I went there I wanted to stay there," she said. "Due to the historic nature of the base, when you go there it feels like you're going back in time. Very beautiful and serene."

Chief Elliott said her career may have come to this juncture due to her diverse live and career path.

"I came in hoping to stay out of jail!" she said. "When I came in, I had little to no moral compass, my values base was weak at best and I had no goals. But the Air Force was able to mold me into what I am today--and I am certain I'm a better person for it. I also believe the life experience and diversity make me a better leader."

Although she has worked in both air traffic controller and personnel, the one job that has probably best prepared her for a job as a command chief was the 10 years she spent being a first sergeant.

"A lot of commanders look for prior first sergeant experience because you've dealt with so many different types of issues and been in so many different organizations," she said. "You can be a command chief without having been a first sergeant, but having been one just prepares you a lot more."

The 10 years she spent as a first sergent will most likely prove invaluable to her because of the large number of people she will be responsible for at her new base; about 2,850 enlisted Airmen.

"Chief Elliott is a proven leader at every level," said 75th Air Base Wing and Ogden Air Logistics Center Command Chief Master Sergeant William Gurney. "With a background in air traffic control, personnel, and as a first sergeant, coupled with recent deployment experience, she's extremely well-versed on the challenges facing our Air Force and, more importantly, our Airmen and their families.

"In short, she's an absolute perfect choice be a command chief and lead the great Airmen of the 90th Space Wing," said Chief Gurney. "Our loss is clearly F.E. Warren's gain."