Not over ‘til it’s over

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Melanie Holochwost
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  "It's been a great ride," said one senior NCO, in an Oct. 28 Thunderbolt article as he looked back on his 26-year Air Force career. Little did he know that just days later his retirement plans would be placed on hold for at least four more years.

This is because Senior Master Sgt. Larry Schneck, 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs superintendent, was selected for promotion to the highest enlisted rank -- chief master sergeant. Nine others were also selected at Luke Air Force Base.

Oddly enough, even though Schneck bought a house in Florida and gave away some of his uniform items, he wasn't the furthest of the 10 into the retirement mindset. Two were spending their days completing home improvement projects, fishing, golfing and taking plenty of naps -- because they were on terminal leave.

When Senior Master Sgts. Jeffery Ewing and Carl Brazier heard the news from Lt. Col. Timothy Trimmell, 756th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander, they had only a few hours to transition back to active duty.

"My commander called me at about 5 p.m. Nov. 2 and told me to shave, get in uniform and report to the 309th Aircraft Maintenance Unit at 7 a.m. the next morning," Ewing said. "When I heard the words 'chief select' afterward, I was ecstatic. It was so awesome to know I had been selected to be part of the Air Force's top 1 percent that I couldn't wait to tell all the folks who supported me along the way."

As soon as Brazier found out he was a chief select, he said his first reaction was, "I need a haircut." It was pretty late in the day, so he said he really had to scramble to find an open barber shop.

But, both said the last-minute scrambling was well worth it. The next morning, the celebration began with food, champagne, balloons and plenty of congratulatory speeches.

"Making chief was a very special day," Brazier said. "It was fun getting picked up by the general and chiefs and getting all the recognition. My inbox was full of congratulation emails from co-workers around the world - some from the earliest points in my career."

So, it has been a great ride for these chief selects, but it's definitely not over yet. Their Air Force journey will continue with a few more years of unexpected ups, downs, bumps, twists and turns.