FSS chief selected as senior enlisted advisor

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  • By Staff Sgt. Lealan Buehrer
Peoria, Ill. --  The superintendent of the 182nd Force Support Squadron was named the new command chief master sergeant at the 182nd Airlift Wing here today. He will take on the role of the senior enlisted advisor to the wing commander and act as the liaison between the enlisted corps and senior leadership.

Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Patrick O. Armstrong of Peoria, Ill., is a veteran of Operations Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, and brings with him 25 years of military experience.

He is going to approach his new role with the attitude that putting Airmen and their best interests first is most important, he said. He also wants to put emphasis on dedication to the Air Force core values through mentorship.

"But I think that the main thing I'd be looking for is to be approachable, to make sure that just because I'm the command chief doesn't mean that the lowest-ranking Airman on the wing should feel like they can't come up and talk to me," Armstrong said.

He is also looking forward to interacting with Airmen that he does not usually get to see. He plans to visit them, see them in action and have the Airmen explain their missions to him, he said.

"What they bring in experience is what really makes our enlisted corps very strong," he said.

Chief Armstrong believes in leading by example and expects the enlisted force to hold him accountable.

"I would never hold them to a standard that I can't hold myself," he said. In turn, he expects the Airmen to know their jobs and to strive to become future leaders themselves.

Col. William P. Robertson, commander of the 182nd Airlift Wing, said he looks forward to having Chief Armstrong assume the command chief duties with his diverse background, and thinks he will be an outstanding representative for the enlisted corps.

"There's never a dull moment when it comes to the issues that face our Air Force and Air Guard. Chief Armstrong definitely has 'the right stuff' to do this job," said Col. Robertson. "I look for outstanding things to happen."

Chief Armstrong is no stranger to the importance of leadership in the enlisted force.

He served 11 years as a security policeman before becoming the Services Flight superintendent in 2000 and the Force Support Squadron superintendent in 2009. He also became a Phoenix Raven in 1997, a specialized role in Air Mobility Command created to provide aircraft security in high terrorist and criminal threat areas.

Prior to his appointment as wing command chief, Chief Armstrong was responsible for supervising and mentoring the enlisted Airmen of the Force Support Squadron, as well as for the management of several flights and functions vital to the wing's mission accomplishment.

The new command chief is married father of three who enjoys coaching football in his spare time. He is a member of the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States, as well as a lifetime member of the National Guard Association of Illinois and the Air Force Services Society.