Photo By John Hughel | Washington Air National Guard Commander Brig. Gen. Jeremy Horn (right) presents a...... read more read more
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Washington Air National Guard Command Chief Master Sgt. Max J. Tidwell relinquished his duties to Chief Master Sgt. Marvin Boyd in a Change of Responsibility ceremony here Dec. 7, 2019. The Change of Responsibility ceremony was followed by a retirement ceremony for Tidwell.
The Change of Responsibility ceremony is a traditional, yet simple event that symbolizes the changing of responsibilities between the outgoing and incoming State Command Chief Master Sgts.
“Chief Tidwell leaves large shoes to fill (metaphorically and literally), but we are fortunate to have a talented Chief ready to lead our Airmen to the next level: CMSgt Marvin Boyd,” said Washington Air National Guard Commander Brig. Gen. Jeremy C. Horn in the November 2019 announcement.
Boyd began his career with the Navy and joined the WA ANG’s 242nd Combat Communications Squadron in 1996. Boyd has been a Chief Master Sgt. for more than a decade and comes to the headquarters from the 194th Wing’s Mission Support Group. He works for the Veterans Administration in his civilian career.
After the Change of Responsibility ceremony concluded, people honored Tidwell’s 32 years of service and his family’s sacrifices during a retirement ceremony.
Horn kicked off the ceremony by reminding the audience about the breadth and depth of the chief's career: he served in nine distinct duty fields while in the active duty Air Force, Air Force Reserve, and the Iowa, Oregon and Washington Air National Guards.
“It doesn’t happen by accident, it happens with leadership,” Horn said.
The general also recounted a story about Tidwell’s impact on a young enlisted soldier. While Horn and Tidwell were visiting Guardsmen in Eastern Washington on fire duty a few years ago, a soldier addressed the chief as “Sergeant Major,” which is the top Army enlisted rank. Horn said he was awed by the event; it was incredibly meaningful for a soldier to call an Air Force Chief Master Sgt. a Sgt. Maj.
“He conveyed that sense of humility and respect for the soldier,” Horn said, and then he addressed Tidwell. “It shows that your leadership transcends any uniform, any job title…it’s at the human level you’re able to reach people outside your own sphere.”
With that story in mind, the general presented Tidwell with a special gift from Malaysia, which is one of the Washington National Guard’s State Partnership Program partner countries. While on temporary duty in Malaysia this September, Horn visited the Malaysian Air Force’s Special Operations Regiment and witnessed an Airman at the highest enlisted rank -- a Sgt. Maj. -- carrying a stick. The Malaysian Air Force adapted British Royal Air Force customs, and one of these customs is for the Sgt. Maj. to carry a “swagger stick.” Horn told the story about Tidwell and the Army Guard soldier to his Malaysian counterpart and an hour later a Malaysian Sgt. Maj. appeared with a swagger stick for Horn to give to the chief.
“You can tell there have been some other sweaty hands that have held on to this,” Horn said as he presented the swagger stick to Tidwell. “I wanted to give you this staff, chief, as an indicator of respect you have built not only in me but in the other troops around you.”
Tidwell’s family, which includes his wife, parents, three sons, one daughter, three brothers, one sister, and numerous others, were addressed during the ceremony. His parents, wife and children were given Washington Guard Family Awards for their many sacrifices during the chief’s career.
Addressing the audience after the award and certificate presentations, Tidwell said, “Life is full of ups and downs. Bad things happen to great people. Bad things happen to great countries. Bad things happen to great communities. So I want to reflect on what happened December, 7, 1941.” Dec. 7 is National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
When Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, then commander-in-chief, United States Pacific Fleet, visited Pearl Harbor to tour the devastation, sailor’s spirits were low and it was a devastating scene, Tidwell recounted. An officer asked the admiral what he thought and Nimitz shocked everyone by describing the mistakes the Japanese made.
“Admiral Nimitz was an optimist. He was able to see the silver lining in a situation where everyone else saw despair,” the chief said. “Why do I bring this to us? I bring this because every one of us go through devastating events in life. You may find yourself in a spirit of despair… You may even feel it’s an insurmountable event to overcome.”
Tidwell described a metaphor for optimism: looking ahead at what’s to come through the windshield and reflecting on the past in the rearview mirror. “Sometimes, there’s a little switch down here. You have to turn the windshield wipers on. If it gets really rainy, turn those things on. Clear up that vision. Make sure you aren’t short-sighted. Never give up.”
The retirement ceremony was held in the Pierce County Readiness Center on Camp Murray, which is a popular location for Washington National Guard ceremonies. There is a large American flag displayed in the PCRC during ceremonies, and at these events Tidwell often sits in the front row.
“It gives me time to reflect, every time the national anthem is played or sung, I have a great view of the flag. Probably the best view of the flag. And I get the opportunity to not just look at the flag as a symbol but really look through it and what does it mean to us.”
The chief introduced a second metaphor by describing how each person is like a thread of the flag.
“Am I a thread, woven into the fabric next to the thread of a widow or widower of one of our brothers in arms? Am I a thread, woven into the fabric next to everyone in this room? A spouse, a child, a parent, a community leader, a business leader, anybody who supports our cause?”
“We’re all woven into this flag,” he said. “Each of you are critical to maintaining that strength and the vitality of this symbol of freedom, and it’s up to all of us to carry that spirit on.”
Tidwell ended his speech by challenging the audience to bring their “A game” and make a difference in the military, civilians jobs and communities.
“You truly are the heroes of this generation,” Tidwell added.
As the chief leaves his military career behind, he’ll continue to work in his civilian job as the Vice President of Safety and Security at Alaska Airlines. His corporate leadership and colleagues were also in attendance.
“I’m honored to serve you and I’ll continue serving but I just won’t be in uniform,” Tidwell said.
| Date Taken: | 12.09.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 12.09.2019 18:04 |
| Story ID: | 354921 |
| Location: | CAMP MURRAY, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 461 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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