Vance hosts recognition ceremony for newest Chief

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. James Bolinger
  • 71st FTW Public Affairs
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Team Vance held a Chief Recognition Ceremony April 9 at the Vance Collocated Club where the base's only chief master sergeant select was recognized for entering into the top one percent of the Air Force enlisted corps.

Senior Master Sgt. Bruce McPherson, the 71st Security Forces superintendent, was welcomed to his new rank and responsibility by several retired chiefs, base leadership, his family and friends, and the command chief master sergeant for Air Education and Training Command -- Gerardo Tapia.

Tapia was the guest speaker and shared a few words of wisdom with those present about the accomplishment of earning the Air Force's highest enlisted rank.

About ten years ago, the Air Force started calling these an induction ceremony, said Tapia. It was like new chiefs were being welcomed into a secret society. It's not like that anymore. Now, the Air Force welcomes its new chiefs with a recognition ceremony, which is more proper, because that's what this is, a recognition of 22 years of accomplishments.

After Tapia's speech, Airmen ranks E-1 to E-8 lit candles on a wooden display. Each candle was directly above one rank in the enlisted corps. The final candle glowing above the chief's stripes was lit by McPherson. As each candle was lit Chief Master Sgt. Derek Madison, the 71st Medical Group superintendent, read a paragraph from the enlisted forces structure explaining the duties required of Airmen who hold each rank.

Wednesday's recognition ceremony was the first ever held at Vance, where unlike other base's with a more robust enlisted corps, few chief selects are at Vance long enough to hold a ceremony after they are notified of their selection to chief.

This unique situation allowed for a special moment for McPherson that would likely not happen at larger bases like Tinker Air Force Base who recognized 18 chief selects this year.

After all the candles were lit, a short video was played where other chief master sergeants, officers and friends of McPherson who could not be present at the Wednesday's ceremony were able to offer words of wisdom and congratulations to the new chief.

McPherson has been in the Air Force for 22 years, is married and has one daughter. He was accompanied to the ceremony by his wife, sister, mother, sister-in-law and mother-in-law. He expects to sew on his stripes in August.