Chief Polesky’s three decades of service ended where it began -- in Oklahoma Published May 12, 2025 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Chief Master Sgt. Benjamin Polesky retired after 27 years of Air Force service during a ceremony held May 9 in the Greven Crosswinds Club at Vance Air Force Base. Vance was Polesky’s first and last permanent-party assignment. He arrived the first time in January 1999. He deployed during Operation Enduring Freedom before heading overseas to the United Kingdom in February 2004. In March 2008 he took an assignment to Yokota Air Base, Japan, before returning to Oklahoma in March 2011. After his Altus Air Force Base assignment, it was back overseas to Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea. In July 2015 he headed to Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, followed by a tour at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. Then it was back to Vance in July 2022 where he initially served as the chief controller and squadron senior enlisted leader for the 71st Operations Support Squadron. From August 2024 until retiring, Polesky was the 71st Operations Group senior enlisted leader. Before entering the retired ranks, Polesky passed on some of his experiences and thoughts about his almost three decades of service in the U.S. Air Force. Why did you join the Air Force? Both of my parents served in the Air Force, dad a retired chief master sergeant and my mom a retired senior master sergeant, so the Air Force is all I have known since the day I was born. For the longest time in high school, I had every intention of going to college and becoming a teacher. I took college classes in my senior year and that is when I realized I did not want to go to college. I did not know what I wanted to do but realized I needed to do something. It is around that point that my mom and I went to speak to an Air Force recruiter and eventually ended up with air traffic control as my career path. Figured the military would also get me someplace new in the world since I had lived in Oklahoma since I was 6 years old. Turns out the Air Force thought I still needed to be in the state close to family, so I was stationed right here at Vance for my first duty assignment. What is your best memory of your first assignment? Vance was my first duty assignment and honestly, I have a lot of memories from those first five years I spent here. While I was very good at my job and have memories of great friends here, I was not the best airman. I managed to get myself in trouble while I was here and learned some valuable lessons that helped shape who I am today. All that being said, my most cherished memory is meeting my wife here and beginning our family together. We are now approaching over 22 years together. What are three reasons you would recommend the Air Force as a career? It is hard to narrow down to just three reasons why I would recommend the Air Force. But I will try. The first one is traveling. The places my family and I have seen over these last 27 years are places we may not have seen had it not been for the Air Force. Experiencing different cultures in Europe and Asia was incredible and the fact that Uncle Sam paid for it made it even better. The second reason is the ability to learn a skill that can set you up for success after your career. Whether it be four years or 20 years, serving in the military takes a special person to be willing to raise their right hand to defend this country. The Air Force is great in that you learn so many skills to be able to answer that call should our nation ask. That to me is a reward for volunteering. Lastly, it is the relationships you make. I have had many friends get out over the years either by separating or retiring and they all say the same thing. The connections you make while serving, you will not find anywhere else. To this day my wife and I still have friends from all the places we have been. Those relationships have built memories for us and at the end of the day they made serving so easy for us. What advice would you give an airman or lieutenant just starting their Air Force career? The advice I would give any new airman or lieutenant is the same advice I give anyone, and it aligns with my leadership philosophy – the acronym FAMILY. Family is the most important thing to me. Every airman or lieutenant that joins our team, I welcome them to our family. F stands for focusing. Focus on getting the mission done, whether that is learning your trade, your airmenship skills or officership skills. But do not lose sight of the people around you. You will get so focused on a task that it is easy to lose sight of the people that help you complete the mission. People are the most important part of getting any mission done, so never lose focus of that. A stands for attitude. Attitude is critical and goes a long way. Having a positive attitude is contagious and just makes people want to help you. Being humble and willing to listen with an open mind to others goes a long way. This is the greatest job in the world so we should love what we are doing. M stands for modeling the behavior the Air Force expects of you. The Air Force expects you to be that model of consistency that other Airmen will see and want to follow. When we leave the base, everyone knows we are in the military so we should model the example of why the military is held in such high esteem. I stands for integrity. The Little Blue Book has several examples of integrity and the one that stands out to me is holding yourself accountable. It is standing and saluting during retreat instead of running to our car. It is doing the simple things like making sure our hair and nails are in regs. There is always someone watching us, so hold yourself accountable and do what is expected of you so you can set the example for the next generation. L stands for leadership. Even as a young airman or lieutenant, you never know when you will be called upon to lead. Find a leader you respect and learn from them. Build your toolkit to help you when the time comes that our country needs you to lead. Y is my favorite part, and it is simple. Do not be afraid to ask Y. Ask yourself Y did you raise your right hand? Are you ready to answer your nation’s call should that phone ring? Are you prepared? Never forget the Y. A family is stronger when they are working towards the same cause. What is the biggest change you have witnessed in the Air Force? There have been a lot of changes in my 27 years and it is hard to just pinpoint what the biggest one is. I have been through times when the Air Force barely deployed to the constant ops tempo after 9/11. I have seen the performance evaluation system change twice, the beginning stages and integration of fifth generation aircraft and drones and the complete downsizing of the force. There are so many changes I am honestly surprised at just how much has changed. Even as I write this, change is happening and we need our Family more than ever to tackle what may come next.