CMSAF: ‘Each Airman is a part of our family’

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Autumn Velez
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody visited Dyess Air Force Base alongside his wife, retired Chief Master Sgt. Athena Cody, to personally thank the Airmen of Team Dyess and their families for the sacrifices they make to serve in the Air Force.

"I look at each and every one of you as part of our family," Cody said while addressing Team Dyess.

During the visit, Cody hosted all-calls for various ranks as well as a lunch with first sergeants. Airmen engaged in open conversation with Cody about the challenges they will face as demands for airpower do not lessen and fiscal constraints increase.

"One of the of the most significant challenges our Airmen face is the reality that we sit here in the smallest Air Force in the history of our Air Force, yet we are more globally engaged and the fiscal realities that we are facing really have high-pressing, competing demands on Airmen," Cody said.

To overcome the adversity, it starts with a conversation about how to improve morale.

"Morale, the sense of pride and purpose, starts where you work, with the people you work with and how we treat each other and care about each other," Cody said.

Cody included that the balance between work and life outside the job is also vital to morale and creating resilient families.

"We can't work people to death. In fact, they will go home with nothing left in the fuel tank to do anything that brings them additional joy and purpose in life," he said.

Mrs. Cody visited the Dyess chapel and Soul Fire Café to see the additional support that is available to Airmen and their families.

"We have tremendous people and tremendous families and if we can keep them connected and caring about each other, we will have a solid foundation on the morale front, even with the resource constraints," he said.

To continue to meet the demands of the mission despite monetary constraints, the Air Force relies on innovative Airmen at the wing level. Cody got a firsthand look at the mission and innovation happening throughout the 7th Bomb Wing and the 317th Airlift Group during his visit.  This included a tour of the B-1B Lancer and a more in-depth look at its sustainment-block 16 upgrade in addition to a brief on the mission of the B-1.

He also learned how the 317th is providing more realistic survival, evasion, resistance and escape training to aircrews by providing water training in local lakes verses swimming pools, and allowing participants to use mock weapons that shoot plastic bb's while practicing evasions. Each of these innovations allows Dyess to successfully accomplish the big Air Force mission.

"We are an innovative Air Force; we wouldn't be the Air Force we are today if it weren't for the innovative Airmen that went before us," Cody said. "If you can think of a better way of doing it, we are ready, willing and excited about hearing what it is."

It is important these innovative Airmen have mentors to guide them along the way.

"Mentors come from many different places; it can be a supervisor, superintendent, commander, a good friend, someone that you have been exposed to at some point and you see an attribute in them where you want to ask them to help you grow and evolve as an Airman, as a leader, or as a person," Cody said. "Getting feedback from somebody you trust, love, knows and cares about you is important. They will tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear."

Before departing Dyess, Cody left the Airmen a word of advice.

"Just do your best, and don't worry about being the best," Cody said. "If you are doing your best every day, you will be successful; our Air Force will be successful."