The Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force’s
quarters on Joint Base Andrews, MD were dedicated to the first Chief
Master Sergeant of the Air Force, Paul W. Airey, during a ceremony at
the house on Airey Court on 10 March 2010. The ceremony made
the CMSAF home ‘‘1 Airey Court.” The
street was formerly known as Command Lane.
The following remarks were given by
CMSgt (ret) Dale Airey, son of CMSAF Paul W.
Airey.
(Note: The following are “speaking notes” used by
CMSgt (ret) Dale Airey and have not be edited for spelling,
typographical or formatting errors, etc.)
DEDICATION OF NEW CMSAF QUARTERS ON AIREY
COURT,
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, MARYLAND
Good morning General Shelton, CMS of the Air Force
Roy and Mrs. Roy, Colonel Shepro, CMSAFS Retired and lovely wives, CMS
Davis, CMS Battenberg, Clark Realty Manger for Number 1 Airey Court Mr.
Dowling.
Family, and guests,… on behalf of the Airey
family: my uncle, Mr. Robert Airey; my sister Ellen and brother in law
Steve Reid, cousin Karen and Husband ADM Noel Dysart, USN, Ret., and
Norma, my wife, we thank you for the invitation and for this ceremony to
name and dedicate the new CMSAF Quarters in Honor of my Dad and also for
recognizing the role and contributions my Mother Shirley had in
Dad’s many successes by making our AF Quarters a home wherever we
were stationed. We also want to thank CMS Lisa Barile from Chief
Roy’s office for her many efforts in making our visit possible and
SMS Marcus Marsh our escort. We especially thank Mrs. Paula Roy
for her untiring efforts in supporting our country, the enlisted family,
and in making Number One
Airey Court a home for all as did Abagail
Adams in 1800 in her new Wash D.C. home.
Dad left us one year ago and not a day has passed
that we don’t think of him and recognize his many influences on
our lives. We’re absolutely sure he is undeniably proud of
this new home that now honors him. This beautiful house represents
and significantly shows the many small steps my Dad and Mom took; and
the many giant steps that all the following CMSAF and their wives took
in making our Air Force a better place for the enlisted
family.
Number
One Airey Court is indeed a testament to the
many sacrifices thousands of other Air Force and Civilian Leaders have
made to make our Air Force the finest military force in the world.
As we all know it’s our men and women who ensure our freedoms and
not the F-22, missiles, or dozens of other weapons
systems…It’s our people,….and this home embodies what
Dad and Air Force Leadership think of its people.
Caring for the enlisted family and family quarters
have not always been a priority. Ellen and I can distinctly
remember some of the many fine Air Force quarters we resided in over 50
years ago. We remember 1953 living in our all metal Quanset hut on
Okinawa…It might have been a
total of 600 Sq Ft of living space. We remember taking our baths
in the laundry sinks. We remember heating the Hut ment push in the
windows and cooling ment push out the windows. We remember Dad in
1959 having to shovel coal and remove ashes to keep us warm at Scott
AFB, IL and we remember Mom opening all the windows and turning on our
only box fan to keep us cool during Illinois summers. We also
remember Mom’s many tears when the basement had 4 ft. of water in
it and she lost her wedding photographs, dress, and many other
remembrances. We remember 1963 living at 123A Gumwood Ave, Grand Forks AFB, ND. We
remember being able to smell our neighbors cooking every night through
the vents. We remember the constant chill in the house, the pipes
bursting in the winter and the house flooding because there wasn’t
enough insallation to keep out minus 30 degree temperatures….and
for a short time in 1967, we remember the first CMSAF’s Quarters
at 110 Garrison St., Bolling AFB, where the family had to fight for a
parking place each day with the other five familys that lived in the
building that had only ten parking spaces.
Number
One Airey Court is undeniable proof that the
Air Force believes in and knows the absolute importance of the Air Force
Family. This house epitomizes Dad’s thoughts and Air Force
Leaders’ thoughts about the importance of our Airmen.
On the magnificent AF Memorial near the Pentagon and
Arlington Dad states: “When I think of the Enlisted Force, I
see dedication, determination, loyalty, and valor.” When we
look at Number One Airey
Court, we see those same qualities of
professionalism.
Our first Vice President, John Adams and the second
President of the United States, and the first President to reside in
brand new government quarters now known as the White House, wrote
Abagail Quincy, Massachusetts on 2 November 1800, about their new
quarters: “I pray Heaven to bestow the best of blessings
on this house and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none
but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof.” The
Airey family is indeed certain that Dad would echo President
Adams’ words about these new quarters, Number One Airey Court,
only he might say, “I pray to the Lord that all who enter this
house are protected, guided, and always practice integrity first,
service before self, and excellence in all that they
do”…….This home embodies those values. And may it
serve the enlisted forces and this CMSAF for the next 204 years as
well.
Again, thank you for honoring Dad and his legacy in
this lasting manner and for allowing the extended Airey family to be a
part of this ceremony. God bless our Troops where ever they may be
housed.
