Kirtland Chief's Group set to induct nine new chief master sergeants Published Jan. 7, 2014 By Chief Master Sgt. David Kelch Kirtland Chief's Group KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Kirtland will recognize the accomplishments of nine very special Airmen by inducting them into the base's chief's group. The celebration will be at 6 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Mountain View Club. Kirtland's nine promotees: · Vincent F. Stephenson, Air Force Inspection Agency · Patrick E. McFarlin, 58th Special Operations Wing · Christopher M. Barks, 898th Munitions Squadron · Michael R. Robicheau, 58th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron · Melissa K. Erb, Defense Threat Reduction Agency · Susanne M. Herbert, 58th Maintenance Squadron · John D. Facemire, 377th Security Forces Squadron · Eric L. Evers, 550th Aircraft Maintenance Unit · Joshua I. Hansen, 71st Aircraft Maintenance Unit Promotion to chief master sergeant and induction into the chief's 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--in fact only one of every 100 Airmen will be selected as a chief master sergeant. 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. In fact, it took congress 11 years to create the two ranks. The explosion of technology following World War II and the Korean War, such as the atomic bomb, jet aircraft, missiles, electronics and radar systems, 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 a master sergeant. Since there was no enlisted grade 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 at that time. 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 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 resulted in enlisted numbers. 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 at time, they were all promoted on the same day. Also, during this 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. These chiefs sewed the chevron of the original chief master sergeant rank insignia that stayed with the Air Force from 1959 to 1997. Then new stripes became effective in 1999. These 625 chiefs came to be known as the "Charter Chiefs," with less than 100 still alive today. 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.