Chiefs Group to induct five new chief master sergeants Published Jan. 16, 2013 By Kirtland AFB Chiefs Group KIRTLAND AFB, N.M. -- Kirtland Air Force Base will recognize the accomplishments of three chief master sergeant-selects and two chief master sergeants and induct them into the Chiefs Group at 6 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Mountain View Club. The Kirtland AFB Chiefs Group invites all of team Kirtland to be part of history and celebrate the induction of five special Airmen into the ranks of chief master sergeant. The promotees are: Robert Dinsmore, 512th Rescue Squadron Curtis Green, 377th Force Support Squadron Benjamin Hedden, 58th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Peter Padilla, Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center Kenneth Zera, 58th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Promotion to chief master sergeant and induction into the Chiefs Group will be the pinnacle of their careers and undoubtedly one of the most significant events of their lives. Not every enlisted member will make Chief -- only one of every one hundred Airmen will be selected. This was not always an enlisted opportunity. When the Air Force was formed in September 1947, the ranks of senior master sergeant and chief master sergeant did not exist. It took Congress 11 years to create the two ranks. The explosion of technology after World War II and the Korean War, such as the atomic bomb, jet aircraft, missiles, electronics, radar systems, and more, demanded the need for enlisted members with leadership, technical ability, formal education, and military qualifications capable of assuming broader responsibilities and authority, just below the commissioned officer level and far above that normally expected rank of an E-7, master sergeant. Since there was no enlisted rank above master sergeant, the services found themselves in a situation they referred to as the "grade suppression." Grade suppression meant that a master sergeant was supervising one or more master sergeants. In addition, mandatory high year of tenure retirement rules or "up-or-out" programs didn't exist then. Congress created the two senior noncommissioned officer super grades as a part of the Career Compensation Act of 1958 and decreed that one percent of the enlisted force could be in the pay grade of E-9 and two percent in the pay grade of E-8. Congress and the Air Force hoped that the establishment of these two super grades would provide for a better delineation of responsibilities in the enlisted force structure and help in retaining good noncommissioned officers. After the establishment of the 1958 act, Air Force personnel officials conducted an in-depth study. Upon completion, manpower officials selected master sergeant positions that required a higher grade and changed the E-7 slots to E-8 or E-9, as appropriate. Those positions were not "in addition to," and the initial promotions did not create vacancies for the lower ranks. Due to these actions, no growth in enlisted numbers resulted. At the time, the Air Force had a select group of 58,000 master sergeants eligible for the super grades. The first promotion boards were held at major command level with field grade officers as members. Quotas and selections were made by Air Force Specialty Codes for the first time. On Dec. 1, 1959, the Air Force promoted about 625 to the rank of chief master sergeant. The selection announcements were kept under lock and key until official notification day. Since there were no line numbers then, they were all promoted on that same day. During that time, the Air Force had started to phase out the warrant officer program and many of the new chiefs assumed duties formerly performed by warrant officers. Those chiefs sewed the chevron of the original chief master sergeant rank insignia that stayed with the Air Force from 1959 to 1997, before new stripes became effective in 1999. The reason for the lag between 1997-1999 from the original chief stripes to the new stripes was that it was optional to wear either the original or new stripes from 1997-1999. The original 625 chiefs came to be known as the "Charter Chiefs." The chiefs and the Air Force owe a debt of gratitude to the Charter Chiefs legacy. Their dedicated service, which embodied the highest standards of leadership, helped set the foundation for future chiefs over the next 50 years. As more chiefs were promoted, chiefs groups came into being. Still addressed as "Sergeant," they petitioned to be called "Chief," to no avail. When the first Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (CMSAF Paul Airey) came on scene, he was still addressed as "Sergeant." Can you imagine addressing CMSAF Roy or the next CMSAF Cody as "Sergeant?" In the early 1970s, the chiefs took it upon themselves to call each other "Chief." Soon, the senior master sergeants were calling them "Chief," and the master sergeants and technical sergeants followed suit. Air Staff took notice and made the official term of address of an E-9, "Chief."