Former CMSAF returns to Langley during time of change

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jason J. Brown
  • 633d Air Base Wing Public Affairs
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. --  Former Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Frederick J. "Jim" Finch returned to Langley March 16 through 19, seeing firsthand the many changes and upgrades taking place across the installation.

Chief Finch served at Langley from 1995 to 1999 as the command chief master sergeant for Air Combat Command. Afterward, he accepted the position of CMSAF, moving to the Pentagon before retiring in 2002.

Upon arriving, the chief noticed several prominent new additions, including construction of dormitories for junior enlisted Airmen, the prisoner of war, missing in action memorial and the expanded hospital.

"It looks a lot different even since last year," he said, having visited as recently as 2009. "This is a very dynamic installation."

During his term as the 13th CMSAF, Chief Finch supported several policies to improve the quality of life for enlisted Airmen, including increases in base pay and housing allowances, development of the first term airmen center and floor plans of dormitories. Chief Finch recalled having full-scale models of dormitories built inside Langley's aircraft hangars to dorm residents' feedback.

"The goal is to leave it better than when you arrived," he said. "You don't have to get everything done. Just make incremental improvements. That's the way it's always been."

One way Chief Finch saw improvements was in the stand-up of Joint Base Langley-Eustis.

Chief Master Sgt. Charles Anderson, 633d Air Base Wing command chief, escorted Chief Finch to the newly renovated 633 ABW Headquarters to meet with Col. Donald Kirkland, 633 ABW commander.

The first topic of business was the recent joint-basing initiative.

The chief is no stranger to the congressionally directed consolidation effort. Living in San Antonio, Texas, allowed him to see the stand-up of Joint Base San Antonio. While he acknowledged blending two different cultures is challenging, he is confident the Air Force and Army are moving in the right direction.

"Langley has the right people and the right leadership to make this all work out," Chief Finch said. "I don't have any doubt that this is the right move for the Air Force, the Army and the Department of Defense as a whole."

The concept will also lay the foundation for joint operational cohesion in the future, he said.

"You put people together, and it helps lend understanding and perspective of the services, which will grow a new generation of leaders," he said. "In the past, the services didn't work around each other very often stateside, so this effort will give developing leaders an advantage their predecessors may not have had."

Following a base tour, Chief Finch met with Airmen for question-and-answer sessions and spoke at the weekly FTAC graduation. In addition, he attended the Air Force Sergeant's Association convention before leaving March 20.

"It's great to come back to Langley to see these improvements," he said. "I had a really good time revisiting part of my Air Force history again."