Photo By 1st Sgt. Joseph L Niesen | Chief Master Sgt. Anibal Rodriguez is the new Chief of Enlisted Matters and 3E0-3E6...... read more read more
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When Chief Master Sgt. Anibal Rodriguez enlisted in the Air Force, he could not have imagined where it would take him. Rodriguez now enters a new phase of his career as Chief of Enlisted Matters and 3E0-3E6 Career Field manager, but his career with the Air Force initially started at Travis Air Force Base, California, in 1996.
Throughout his career, Rodriguez was stationed around the world and deployed several times. During his nine years at what is now known as Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, Rodriguez deployed to Iraq, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, and United Arab Emirates. Following his deployments, he was stationed at Aviano Air Base, Italy, for four years and was deployed with the Army to Iraq. Prior to his current role, Rodriguez served as the Joint Group Mission Support Senior Enlisted Leader at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.
Rodriguez has never taken the opportunity to serve his country for granted, and his new role is no different. “My goal is to facilitate and make it as easy as possible for our engineers to do what we do- take care of the mission and be successful for Great Power Competition,” he said. “No matter where my career has taken me, I have always wanted to stay close to Airmen, working at the base level as much as possible.”
When Rodriguez received the call from his predecessor, Chief Master Sgt. Robert Cullison, asking if he would be interested in competing for the job, he had no hesitation and was honored to have been considered.
While Rodriguez had retirement on his mind, he could not pass up the honor of serving in the highest enlisted position within civil engineering. “My duty to Airmen outweighed my personal plans,” Rodriguez said. “I want every Airman to know that if I can make it as the CEM and CFM, then any Airmen is capable of the same achievement.”
Rodriguez’s culmination of over 25 years of experience as a civil engineer has prepared him in a multitude of ways to step into his new position. Most notably is his commitment to a deep understanding of every job he ever held. Reflecting on the expertise he accumulated, he said, “I didn’t want to be respected for my rank, but for the knowledge that I contributed at every level of my career.”
Rodriguez never made it a priority to chase a specific rank and, in fact, never made a stripe the first time around. Instead, his focus has always been on doing his job to the best of his ability.
“First and foremost, Airmen must work hard and excel in their current role, with the ultimate goal of the mission at hand,” Rodriguez said. “You need to do your job first and everything else will follow. Promotion is a byproduct of hard work and effort, and it shouldn’t be the sole purpose of military life.”
In his new role, Rodriguez’s goal is to guide Airmen civil engineers through changes that are happening with deployments and training strategies.
Rodriguez also plans to continue Cullison’s work of modernizing career development courses. The initiative that Cullison began brought the career field from “paper-based books to interactive learning through technology and competency-based testing and tasks,” Rodriguez explained.
There are new initiatives that Rodriguez is looking forward to both creating and executing, including a new deployment construct under the Air Force Force Generation model, the evolution of Childhood Development Centers, virtual training, and equipping Airmen early in their careers to fill key roles within civil engineering.
When Rodriguez ultimately retires, he wants to be remembered as a Chief that took care of Airmen. “I would like to be known for transparency, fairness, and as someone Airmen can reach out to for an answer even if they don’t like it,” he reflected. “Even if it is not the popular answer, I will get you an answer nonetheless.”
It is rare for an Airman to be part of civil engineering throughout their entire career, especially one that spans over 25 years. For Rodriquez, it is what sets him apart.
“My first role in the Air Force was an HVAC technician. From there, I wore many hats that have allowed me to thoroughly understand civil engineering as a whole,” he said. “At the end of the day, I want the civil engineering community to know that I am just an Airman, like everyone else. My position does not define me as a person.”
| Date Taken: | 11.09.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 11.08.2023 11:07 |
| Story ID: | 457458 |
| Location: | DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Web Views: | 2,061 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Chief Master Sgt. Anibal Rodriguez: A New Chief in Town, by Emma Loscalzo, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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