BIDDLE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Pa. -- After more than 36-years of military service, the senior enlisted leader of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard’s 270th Engineering Installation Squadron retired during a ceremony held at Biddle Air National Guard Base in Horsham, Pennsylvania on March 4, 2023.
Chief Master Sgt. Michelle Moyer, 270th EIS Senior Enlisted Leader and Project Manager, received her good-bye salutes and farewell handshakes from her comrades-in-arms after her retirement ceremony at the base where she has served for her entire PAANG career.
Lt. Col. Carolyn R. Bartley, 270th Engineering Commander, presided over the ceremony.
“Over the past few years, the 270th has had the honor of retiring several individuals,” said Bartley. “However, the retirement of Chief Moyer is huge. It will be felt throughout the entire squadron, as well as in the Wing, and in the Engineering and Installation community.”
Moyer joined the Pennsylvania Air National Guard in 1986 and was assigned as a Telephone Central Office Switch Equipment Specialist with the 270th EIS at the then Willow Grove Air Reserve Station. She transitioned to a job as Cable Antenna Maintenance Specialist in 1989 and continued to serve as a traditional Guardsmen while working in the civilian sector managing the east coast's largest youth sports photography studio and lab.
She graduated with a Bachelor's Degree majoring in Marketing and Management from Temple University in 1993.
Moyer became a fulltime technician in the PAANG in 2001 and managed the Cable Antenna Installation section, overseeing communication installation projects worldwide.
In April 2014, Moyer became the first woman to attain the rank of Chief Master Sergeant since the unit's inception in 1952.
From 2004 through 2019, she deployed five times in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Freedom Sentinel with tours of duty in Iraq, Qatar and Afghanistan.
While addressing the audience, Moyer credited those deployments for her success and for the high morale in the 270th EIS.
“Take advantage of all of the opportunities that are out there,” said Moyer. “Take a chance. Go to Germany for six months, sign up for a tour anywhere. Go on as many TDYs [Temporary Duty Travel assignments] as you can. The timing will never be perfect, but the life experiences and the memories you will make are priceless.”