Photo By Diana Nesukh | CMSgt Alva Benjamin Jr. has dedicated almost twenty-eight years of his life to the Air...... read more read more
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“Black History Month is important, but I celebrate it every day,” CMSgt Alva Benjamin Jr. said. “I firmly believe we should all be celebrated.” For Benjamin, to celebrate Black History Month is to recognize how far the Air Force has come during his time of service. Today, he sees more Black men and women in roles of leadership than when he first joined over 20 years ago. This is a sign of growth, but there is still a long way to go. “Everyone looks at Black leaders in the Air Force as a sign of progress and while that may be one indication, I do not think we should get complacent and write people off just because they do not look like you,” Benjamin said. To him, the more diverse leadership is, the stronger and more powerful the force will be. Benjamin would like to see more people of color as Engineers and assume the role of Squadron Commander and Chief, and sees an opportunity for women in traditionally male-dominated roles.
Benjamin currently serves at AFIMSC based out of Joint Base San Antonio Lackland, Texas. He is the PACAF CE MAJCOM Functional Manager and Senior Enlisted Leader of the Blue Team, consisting of Civil Engineers, Security Forces, and Force Support.
During his second deployment as a Chief in 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Benjamin witnessed first-hand the heightened division the nation was feeling at that time. The news of George Floyd's death was announced a week before combat skill training at Fort Bliss, Texas. Training with over 200 diverse Airmen, Benjamin began to notice tempers flaring up. Throughout his career as a civil engineer, he had to lead the way, and now was another opportunity to jump into action. "I called a formation and laid out a plan for Officers and Senior NCOs to gather diverse groups of 10-12 people to engage in open dialogue about everything that was going on," Benjamin explained. After some heated discussions, the storm settled within a few days. Many of the people who disagreed with one another in the discussions were able to resolve their differences by meeting in the middle. That entire group was deployed to the 1st Expeditionary Civil Engineer Group at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, and had to break off and do different projects around the region. Benjamin believes the deployment would not have been successful without the group discussions.
Obstacles that seem insurmountable are nothing new to Benjamin, who credits his success as a Chief to the resilience he’s built up throughout his military career. “When someone told me that I could not accomplish something because of fill-in-the-blank, I've always been the guy that pushed through. I am Chief today because I never gave up," Benjamin said, as he recalled two instances where he was passed up for chief stratification despite doing everything right. Both instances taught Benjamin that no obstacle is too big to overcome. "People like who they like and getting rid of those barriers looks different for everyone," Benjamin said. "I just kept pushing forward even after hearing no."
As a leader, Benjamin keeps that mentality at the top of his mind. While he has earned many accolades and awards over his years of service, nothing has been as fulfilling as seeing his team of Airmen get to the next level of their careers. His most significant achievements have centered around seeing Airmen that were troublemakers win. “We need to get to know the Airmen that are being written off” Benjamin expanded. “That is the first step in taking care of them and I take pride in seeing Airmen grow and become better people.” He recalls story after story of Airmen that were one step away from getting kicked out of the Air Force and, through growth and resilience, are current Senior NCOs and 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year winners. “I really appreciate watching the Airmen that were underdogs win, achieve higher grades, and higher responsibilities in the Air Force,” Benjamin said.
The Air Force has profoundly impacted Benjamin's life and has inspired him to recruit young people to join any chance he gets. He was born in Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands, and attended high school in Tampa, Florida, before enlisting in the Air Force. He credits his father, who was in the Army, for inspiring him to serve. "I would not have the education or skill set I do today if I did not take a leap of faith and follow in my father's footsteps," Benjamin said. His initial plan was to join for four years and then return home with a skill set that he could use to earn money. Looking back on his almost twenty-eight years of service, he has no regrets and is still proud to serve his country.
Alongside his father, Benjamin also remembers a pivotal moment that inspired him to serve. While waiting to attend tech school, Benjamin’s father took him to meet a businessman that was working at a bank in downtown Tampa. He worked in a skyscraper on one of the top floors. Upon meeting the businessman, Benjamin recalls being shocked to see that he was a black man. The man told him that he was a retired Chief and was now running a big business in Tampa. That moment stuck with Benjamin. “I saw the impact the Air Force had on this man’s life and how after retirement, he was able to continue his success in the business world,” Benjamin said. “I wanted in on that and now feel a responsibility to foster the growth of future Airmen.”
To Benjamin, one way to grow the new generation of Airmen is by betting back to the basics. “To grow and groom Airmen to take our place, we have to prepare them for the next big fight,” Benjamin said. “When the next war happens and we are called upon, we are not going to be able to type, text, or Google our way out of it as we are on the battlefield.” To ensure Airmen are ready at all times, they must get back to their core values: Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do. “These are words that require action from each and every single one of us in peacetime, but especially during wartime,” Benjamin explained. “Our enemies do not care what our race is, who we vote for, or who we love. Once we all realize this, we’ll be able to come together and collectively show our enemies why we are the best Air Force in the World!”
| Date Taken: | 02.20.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 02.20.2023 13:43 |
| Story ID: | 438787 |
| Location: | DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Web Views: | 1,272 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Breaking Barriers and Defeating Doubters: The Road to Chief, by Wood Francois and Diana Nesukh, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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