Cmsaf gaylor obituary

Chief Master Sergeant of the United States Air Force

Paul Wesley Airey (December 13, – March 11, ) was an airman of the United States Air Force who served as the first Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force from to

Early life and education

Airey born on December 13, , in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

He entered military service in after two years of high school in Quincy, Massachusetts.

Cmsaf airey biography husband CMSAF Paul Wesley Airey served as the first Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force from 3 April to 21 July His entire career exemplified discipline, sacrifice, leadership, and the determination to overcome difficulties in the service of his country.

In he obtained his high school equivalency certificate, and later completed 62 semester hours of study at McKendree College, Lebanon, Illinois. His military schooling included courses in communication mechanics and personnel management. He is a graduate of the Air Defense Command Noncommissioned Officer Academy. The academy was renamed the Paul W.

Airey NCO Academy on December 13, , in his honor.^[1]

Military career

Airey enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in November During World War II, he was an aerial gunner and radio operator on B Liberator bombers and is credited with 28 combat missions over Europe.

Cmsaf airey biography wikipedia Paul Wesley Airey (December 13, – March 11, ) was an airman of the United States Air Force who served as the first Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force from to

In July , on his 28th combat mission, a bombing run over Vienna, Austria, Airey was forced to bail out of his flak-damaged aircraft over Hungary. He was captured by the German military and was taken to Stalag Luft IV, a prisoner of war (POW) camp near the Baltic Sea for Allied airmen. In February , Airey and 6, fellow POWs were forced to march miles to another camp near Berlin as the Soviet Red Army got closer.

He was liberated in May by British forces. By that time, Airey had dysentery and weighed less than pounds.^[2]

Airey reenlisted in the Air Force after completing a recuperation leave. He went to Naha Air Base, Okinawa, where he was responsible for radio repair.

Cmsaf airey biography Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Paul Wesley Airey was adviser to Secretary of the Air Force Harold Brown and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. John P. McConnell on matters concerning welfare, effective utilization and progress of the enlisted members of the Air Force.

During the Korean War he was awarded the Legion of Merit, unusual for an enlisted person, for saving more than a million dollars in electronic equipment that would have deteriorated without the corrosion control assembly line he developed.

Airey spent 14 of his year career as a first sergeant. This included assignment to the Air Defense Command's th Civil Engineering Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida.

On April 3, , he was appointed the first Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, the service's ultimate noncommissioned officer position, having been selected from among 21 major command nominees.

Cmsaf airey biography images

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Paul Wesley Airey was adviser to Secretary of the Air Force Harold Brown and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. John P. McConnell on matters concerning welfare, effective utilization and progress of the enlisted members of the Air Force.

In this role he was adviser to Secretary of the Air Force Richard Campbell and Air Force Chief of Staff, General John P. McConnell.

Later life

Airey retired from the Air Force on August 1, He died in Panama City, Florida, on March 11,

Awards and decorations

Professional memberships and associations

References

&#;This article incorporates public domain material from Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Paul W.

Airey biography. United States Air Force.