BIDDLE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Pa. -- Chief Master Sgt. Maurice Williams, the Command Chief Master Sergeant of the Air National Guard, visited the Airmen of the 111th Attack Wing here, May 14. He met with members of various units on base and spoke to enlisted Airmen at two town hall meetings during his visit.
“The purpose of this visit is to showcase the great work and amazing Airmen of the 111th ATKW,” said Chief Master Sgt. Robert Ferguson, Command Chief Master Sgt. of the 111th ATKW. “This visit has been planned for more than six months, so it’s great to finally see it come to fruition.”
In the town hall with 111th ATKW senior enlisted personnel, Williams emphasized the important role that the “top three” senior enlisted personnel have in improving an organization.
“From E-7 up to E-9, you have the most influence in this Wing,” Williams said. “You’re a senior noncommissioned officer, you have influence. So, I need you to come together and make this ‘Top Three’ an organization that can change things and move the organization forward.”
The 111th ATKW Top Three Council is a senior enlisted group that meets regularly to discuss a multitude of issues including ways to improve our Wing and help with Airman professional development.
After meeting with the senior enlisted, Williams met with junior-enlisted Airmen, letting them know what he shared with the seniors.
“In my meeting with E-7s and above, I challenged them to give the Airmen, E-6 and below, what they needed as an Airmen,” said Williams. “Empower your Airmen to execute the mission successfully by making sure they understand their role, their job and its importance, so they have the courage to make decisions.”
At both meetings, he provided an opportunity for Airmen to ask questions about the ANG and share concerns in an open dialogue.
Often, Airmen can lose sight of the part they play in the bigger picture, so Williams emphasized how significant each person’s job is. One enlisted member appreciated the guidance.
“This was a good reminder that we play an important role in the mission every day even though it may not seem like it,” said Tech. Sgt. Shawna Belusko, 111th ATKW production recruiter and president of the Rising Six Council. “It’s nice to see someone in a higher leadership role take the time to speak to us and remind us of what we need to do to get to where we want to be.”
Williams assumed the role of command chief in 2020 and he serves more than 91,000 enlisted Airmen across the ANG. And as the senior enlisted leader for the ANG, he advised the 111th ATKW’s senior enlisted to stay focused on the future fight.
“As senior NCOs, we need to start thinking about the future fight, and how we need to develop ourselves, and how we need to develop those Airmen that we lead,” William said.
After the visit, the 111th ATKW’s command chief was grateful for the support he had in planning and executing the ANG command chief’s visit.
“I want to thank some of the key players who helped in planning this visit,” Ferguson said. “Capt. Steven Shorter, Maj. Sean Pearson, Chief Master Sgt. Lauren Paul, Chief Master Sgt. Richard Bolton, Chief Master Sgt. Timothy Knight and Senior Master Sgt. Brian Zarilla were all instrumental in the planning process and in making this event a success.”