Charter chief continues to encourage Airmen

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Marissa Tucker
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  As the Air Force approaches its 64th birthday, remembering and honoring the past is necessary to carry on the legacy of those who set the tone for excellency.

A jewel of the retiree core, retired Chief Master Sgt. Luther Carroll, one of the first Airmen to wear the chief rank, is a prime example of just that: excellence. His Air Force career, which began at the infancy of the service in 1947, was not without its issues, and he shares his experience with Airmen to give them a better insight.

"It is an entirely different Air Force from 1947," he said. "Many of the core elements are the same, but there are far more amenities than in my day. I'm glad to see good chiefs here these days. They are getting the respect they deserve."

Carroll entered the Air Force from Kenansville, N.C., as an airways communications systems maintenance technician. His first term as an Airman did not last a long time, because he had ambitions to attend college full time. After two months as a civilian, he was back at a recruiting office gearing up for another stint in the U.S. Air Force.

"I was so used to the camaraderie in the Air Force it felt like I had left my family," he said. "I came back with the drive to be the best at my job. Some people called me 'G.I. Joe' and I guess they were right."

He returned with more determination than ever, grateful he got a second chance and quickly advanced through the ranks. His career took him to places such as Japan, California and Korea, but at home he always had his beloved wife, Betty Sue, and his children waiting for him. The two have been married for 59 years and he credits her to his success.

In 1958, after deciding rank stagnation in the Air Force was hurting the enlisted corps, congress passed the Career Compensation Act, which allowed Air Force officials to create two new ranks, senior master sergeant and chief master sergeant. Carroll, who was a master sergeant at the time, was among the first 620 master sergeants to be promoted to chief, Dec. 1, 1959.

"When they told me I was going to be promoted to chief, I was a bit surprised, but I was honored I made the cut," he said. "I knew I had more responsibility than ever and I was going to make the Air Force proud."

That first group became known as the "Charter Chiefs." Less than 70 Charter Chiefs are alive today. As a groundbreaker who helped set a high standard for future chiefs, Carroll remains humble and is grateful to the Airmen who came before him and those who remain are now the driving force of the enlisted corps.

He hopes to encourage Airmen to go beyond their ideas of what is possible and to never stop reaching for success. He continues to speak at ceremonies or meetings whenever he has the chance and hopes to be the last charter chief still alive and kicking.

"College is much more accessible these days than it used to be," he said. "The biggest thing I regret is that I focused solely on my career and not on getting my college degree. In these days where people have the attitude that they can get something for nothing, they are losing sight of their original goal. Anything worth having is going to take hard work."