Chief Master Sgt. Jeremiah Grisham, 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing command chief, was awarded the “Knights Out” Leadership Award April 20th, 2024.
Knights Out is the United States Military Academy West Point’s LGBT+ group who support the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people who serve openly in the U.S. military and who wish to educate young officers about the issues and contributions of LGBT troops.
Every year, Knights Out recognizes an LGBT+ military member who goes above and beyond leading from the front.
“I have to say though that I am especially delighted to be receiving the Knights Out award for leadership, because that’s what I’ve tried to be,” said Grisham.
Grisham joined the Air Force 26 years ago as an explosive ordnance disposal technician, when the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy was still in effect. Despite this policy posing a threat to his service, Grisham was open and honest with his coworkers and leadership within the EOD community about his sexuality.
“I’m not someone who set out to break any barriers,” stated Grisham. “Growing up in the service, I wanted to be known mostly as a good, or maybe even great, explosive ordnance disposal technician. Then later, I wanted to be a good leader and mentor for my Airmen. And that was kind of it, but the universe has a funny way of putting your feet on a path you never intended, and I guess looking back, I have broken a few barriers along the way.”
“Don’t ask, don’t tell” was an act that prohibited any non-heterosexual persons from disclosing their sexual orientation or from speaking about any same-sex relationships while serving in the United States armed forces. This act specified that service members who disclosed that they were homosexual or engaged in homosexual conduct should be discharged from the service.
Then, on September 20, 2011, DADT policy was repealed, allowing members who were homosexual to not face any consequences if they opened up about their sexuality.
“It’s so strange now to think on that time,” said Grisham. “Back then, I couldn’t even imagine being able to have a spouse, I couldn’t imagine that it would ever be legal for me to be open about my sexuality. I couldn’t imagine being bold and breaking the rules on my retirement day, but I couldn’t imagine that I would have to. It makes me so grateful for the change that has happened in our society, and it makes me eager to be a part of the changes that we still need.”
To the best of his knowledge, Grisham serves as the only openly gay male command chief in the United States Air Force. However, he wishes to not just be recognized as “The Gay Command Chief”, but to be as good a chief as he could be.
“I am and always will be a gay man, but more than anything, I’d like my legacy as an Airman to be that of a visible, open, dedicated and compassionate leader,” said Grisham.
Grisham was unfortunately not able to attend Knights Out ceremony as his duties in Germany took precedence. He accepted the award virtually and left the committee with a strong message to end his speech.
“I hope that my service continues to inspire young LGBTQ+ service members as they work to find their own path of acceptance and success,” stated Grisham. “I am encouraged by the social changes that time and the enormous efforts have wrought. I’m eager to see more change because I know we still have a long way to go. And today, I am grateful to be standing here accepting this award serving openly as a gay man, a Chief Master Sergeant, and a life-long Airman. Thank you.”
| Date Taken: | 06.30.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.10.2024 06:54 |
| Story ID: | 475819 |
| Location: | RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, DE |
| Web Views: | 20 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 521 AMOW Command Chief Accepts West Point’s Knights Out Leadership Award, by SSgt Joshua Crossman, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
