WEBVTT

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- Well, I come from a military background,

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you know, my family's military.

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my father was four years Marines

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and then finished out his active
duty at 16 years Air Force.

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So I enjoyed the military
life as a dependent

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and had the benefit of
living in Luke Air Force Base

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and Williams Air Force Base in Arizona

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as I was growing up.

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And then latter years, my
father's time in the military,

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I grew up in Turkey, you
know, he was stationed there,

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so I actually got to live overseas

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and enjoyed the military life there.

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So it's always been in my
heart to be in the military.

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We came to the States
when I was 12 years old,

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and the only time I've
been out of the military

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is from 12 to age 18

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when I decided to join back up

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because I missed that military life.

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So, and I have two older
brothers that joined before me

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here at the 181st, and
they've moved on to,

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one to the Army,

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and one retired actually
27 years out here in CE.

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So I enjoy that military life.

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I know no other way of
life, and I enjoy it,

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and when I retire,

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I will do something in the civilian side

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that's still affiliated with the military.

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Come February 1st,

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I'll be in the Air National
Guard at the 181st for 38 years.

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I've held four jobs or AFSCs, if you will.

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I started off in 1983 as
a Ground Radio Operator,

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and I did that job for 12 years.

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And then I switched
over to base operations,

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and I was a Flight
Records Manager for a year

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until a full-time position opened up

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as an Airfield Manager,

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and I was accepted as
a full-time position.

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And then I did it,

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I was the Airfield Manager for 12 years

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until we got bracked.

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So that was my third AFSC.

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Then my fourth AFSC, like
all the full-timers here,

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we had to make a decision
whether to retire,

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to transfer with the
F-16s, or get a new career.

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So I became a Geospatial
Analyst, so I went into intel,

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and I've done that job
for 12 years as well.

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And during that time,

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I put on the ranks of
Senior Master Sergeant

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and Chief Master Sergeant,

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and I've worked in part
as a superintendent

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for two groups out of the three groups

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that we have here on base.

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I was the Med Group Superintendent

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for a little over two years,

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and then I became

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the Intel Surveillance
Reconnaissance Group Chief

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for a little over 2 1/2 years.

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And then now I was
accepted by Colonel Saylor

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to become the 8th Command Chief
for 181st Intelligence Wing.

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Now my job is I get to
speak to the leadership

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on all concerns regarding enlisted members

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and what their needs are

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and what we need to do to get
them to accomplish our mission

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and work with them hand-in-hand

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and have that opportunity
to speak to leadership,

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to Guard Bureau, to the active duty,

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and have that rapport with them

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to get to where we need to be.

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My highlight is seeing
the success of others.

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You know, I enjoy seeing people move on

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and moving through the ranks.

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A good example, would be Colonel Saylor.

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I remember when she came
here as a Second Lieutenant

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and to see her to progress
to become our Commander.

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I worked side-by-side

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with Brigadier Generals,
Renwick, Doyle, and Hauser.

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They were majors at the
time when I met them

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and during the flying days,
you know, I worked with them,

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our families got to know
each other and stuff

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and see them succeed to the General level.

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I also worked with Major General Clark,

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who was a Major at the same time as well,

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and get to see him rise,

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so those are the highlights
that I really point out.

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It's not necessarily myself,

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but I like to see other people succeed,

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and those are what really stick in my mind

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as highlights of my career

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is being part of their
their progression as well.

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The Air National Guard
is a good place to be

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to learn a career field,
at no cost to them.

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You know, the only thing
they have to contribute

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is their time.

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You know, we pay for that career field

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and start 'em off in life,

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and then they can move
on to do college as well

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while they're doin' that job here

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as a traditional or a full-timer,
if they choose to do so.

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But the life out here
cannot be any better,

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that's why I've been here for 38 years.

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You know, the comradery that we have here,

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it's a teamwork effort.

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You're not doin' it all on your own.

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You know, it's a different life

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compared to the civilian
side where you go to a job,

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and you're the new person,

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and you have to work your way through it.

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Here, there's a lot of people
that are here to help you out,

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and the benefits that you
get while you're here,

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you could get a retirement in 20 years

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just bein' a traditional.

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So there's,

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I would tell them

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that the benefits outweigh
the civilian side.

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Well, just as the new Command Chief,

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I really look forward to this opportunity

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for the next three
years and doin' my part.

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I really enjoy being around the Airmen

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and seein' them succeed

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and seein' the officers succeed as well.

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And anything that I can do to
help them out along that path,

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that's just my true heart where
I believe in the military,

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and that's why I joined.

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I am Chief Master Sergeant Robert Hackett,

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and this is my 181 story.