Page 3 - Desert Lightning News So. AZ Edition, May 2019

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Chief Johnson’s signature move — the ‘jump’
by Maj. CASEY WYMAN
355th Comptroller Squadron commander
Those of you who have had the pleasure of watch- ing Chief Master Sgt. Johnson speak over the last two years of her final command chief tour at Davis- Monthan Air Force Base may already know where I’m going with this piece.
Before I get to the “jump,” it is worth painting a better picture for those who do not get to see Chief Johnson as often as I do, as a member of the wing staff leadership team. Due to her position, her office is located just upstairs from mine. This provides me plenty of “hallway hellos” and chances to witness the awesomeness of chief’s everyday affairs.
She never misses an opportunity to engage our Airmen or promote the wing’s mission to our commu- nity partners, all while eating a healthy, homemade, multigrain, 100%-of-your-daily-everything pancake with a smile on her face. She rises early to get an intense workout in before the marathon schedule of appointments each day, and she rarely misses a beat due to the impact she can have on the Air Force’s greatest assets – the Airmen.
Chief Johnson’s unwavering gratitude to and for our Airmen is one of her trademarks. However, her gratitude doesn’t stop at the service member; it extends to the full circle of family and friends who support the Airman. Now, if anyone else wanted a visual representation of the support network for an Airman, they might form a circle with their hands or use their arms to make a really big circle. But that’s not enough for chief.
She is someone who doesn’t do anything half- heartedly and invests her whole self in everything she does. So what does she do to represent the sup- port network of an Airman? She jumps. There isn’t an event that goes on at Davis-Monthan AFB that chief isn’t part of in some way, and if you are lucky enough, you have witnessed her address the masses
and seen her jump through an imaginary second dimension to express her gratitude to the secondary heroes present.
I first witnessed the jump when I arrived at D-M and attended the technical sergeant release party at Club Ironwood. As one of my first official base-wide events, I wasn’t sure how things would go. The newly selected tech sergeants were introduced to loud ap- plause and cheers from the crowd, and the club staff hosted a worthy event. Eventually, chief got the mic and started to do her inspirational thing.
After 19 years of serving, I, more or less, knew what was going to be said until chief got about halfway into her prepared speech and literally took a small jump on stage. This celebration was not only about the new selects or their new positions, she explained, but the support of family and friends who enabled their continued successful service as well.
After this jump and a few laughs, chief ’s passionate speech captured the crowd, and by the end, everyone wanted to call that special someone to tell them, “thanks for supporting my service.” The jump hap- pened in a flash, and it wasn’t until the second time I saw it that I realized this was chief ’s signature move, equivalent to Clark Kent running into a phone booth (Google it if you don’t know what a phone booth is) and changing into Superman before saving the day.
Another jump happened when chief secured an- other $40,000 for Quality of Life projects for the Air- men in the wing, and wanted to come down to address some of the teammates who made it possible. She let me know she was coming down to the squadron and when I brought her into the finance office to address the team working through various financial actions, she took the chance to maximize the opportunity.
She spoke to them like a fellow Airman with an appreciation for their service and highlighted the impact of what they do for the broader mission. Then it happened; she took a small jump and spoke about the influence of family and friends on each person in the office. She made it not about them or her, but
Senior Airman Giovanni Sims
Chief Master Sgt. Shanece Johnson gives a leadership speech during a chief recognition cer- emony at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Chief Johnson’s unwavering gratitude to and for Air- men, and her interaction-based mentorship, are her greatest trademarks.
about the people who support us each day.
I could see the change in my Airmen’s eyes. After witnessing the jump, they understood the emotional buy that chief was talking about. Serving America in the Air Force is a tremendous honor, but it can only be done with continued encouragement from the support network around us. Having a command chief who never lets us forget that makes us more resilient Airmen in the readiest wing in the Air Force. Chief also projected this message during our weekly wing meetings. In one specific instance, the wing was in a preparatory meeting to support Army personnel coming to the installation. This was go- ing to be a heavy lift for the wing and would require a substantial commitment of resources, including extended hours to support nearly 2,000 soldiers sup- porting border operations. At the end of the meeting, Col. (Michael) Drowley, (355th Wing commander)
See JumP, Page 12
Staff
Publisher ..............................................................Paul Kinison Business manager ...............................................Lisa Kinison Editor .......................................................... Deborah Leuthold Advertising representative................................Sandi Bueltel Designer ............................................................... Emma Uribe
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VP Pence drops in at D-M ...
Senior Airman Cheyenne Powers
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence greets the Desert Lightning Team during a quick visit April 11 to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base prior to his immersion with Customs and Border Protection. This dynamic, cross-functional relationship with Customs and Border Protec- tion broadens D-M AFB’s ability to support national security. Davis-Monthan is an opera- tional, warfighting base with 11,000 Airmen that directly support four combatant com- manders around the globe every day.
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