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2nd Lt. Timothy Ramig, 17th Security Forces Squadron, administers the Oath of Enlistment to Chief Master Sgt. Brendan Criswell, 17th Training Wing Command Chief during the Stars and Stripes ceremony April 29. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Heather Rodgers).
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17th TRW Command Chief re-enlists
Posted 5/10/2011 Updated 5/10/2011
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by Senior Airman Anne Gathua
17th Training Wing Public Affairs
5/10/2011 - GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- At the suggestion of his stepmother, a college student looking for direction in life took his first oath of enlistment at the Brooklyn, N.Y., Military Entrance Processing Station.
Fast forward more than 20 years later. Chief Master Sgt. Brendan Criswell, 17th Training Wing Command Chief, re-enlisted for the fourth time during the Stars and Stripes ceremony April 29.
And who better to re-enlist the chief than 2nd Lt. Timothy Ramig, the youngest officer on base.
"I was extremely excited and honored to be asked to perform his re-enlistment, though I would be lying if I didn't also say I was a tad bit nervous doing it in front of everyone," Lieutenant Ramig said.
Chief Criswell, a Westchester County, N.Y., native, said he re-enlisted because he truly enjoys his job, and helping Airmen succeed in the Air Force makes it worth it every day.
"I'm still having fun and the Air Force has been a great opportunity for me," Chief Criswell said. "I find it very gratifying to know I've had a small role in the successes we've had in ending the Cold War with the USSR and bringing down the Wall in Germany, ending the genocide and bringing war criminals to justice in Bosnia, ending the tyrannical rule of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, crushing al Qaeda and Bin Laden in Afghanistan and so many other victories big and small."
The chief said he asked Lieutenant Ramig to re-enlist him as a positive statement to illustrate that even the most senior enlisted member on the base is still out-ranked by the most junior officer.
"Although I've been in the service longer than Lieutenant Ramig has been alive, I still call him 'Sir,' and that relationship between officer and enlisted is one of the pillars of our strength as an Air Force," the chief added. "It is mutual respect that is entrenched in our tradition as a profession of arms. The Air Force has that balance right and it's one of the things I like most about our service."
Lieutenant Ramig said it is important for enlisted and officers alike to understand the relationship they share with one another because nothing would get accomplished in the Air Force without either side.
"As junior officers, we rely heavily on the vast amount of expertise and experience that the enlisted corps brings to the table, and we have the unique opportunity to take their knowledge and make meaningful decisions, positively impacting the enlisted corps," he added.
Chief Criswell said he didn't just choose the youngest officer, but the right one.
"Lieutenant Ramig, who was born while I was in Basic Military Training, has been here for two years, held up in training the whole time," the chief added. "Instead of losing hope and giving up on the Air Force, he has integrated with the Security Forces Squadron and has become a positive influence to the Airmen of that unit and the greater Goodfellow community."
Regarding his life in the military, Chief Criswell said each day is a new challenge that he treats with a lot of respect.
"I don't assume my experience or past successes have necessarily set me up to succeed in the future, and as such, I'm constantly learning and working towards perfecting my craft, the chief added. "Re-enlisting today was as important a decision as the first time I raised my right hand."
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