Private Ceremony Recognizes the Value of the Noncom Ranks

The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force completed a new exhibit featuring the successes and travails of the noncommissioned since the military arm was created.

"The Enlisted Force Exhibit is the museum’s newest permanent exhibit and honors the highly skilled, trained, and talented enlisted force that has been the backbone of daily operations of the U.S. Department of the Air Force throughout its 76-year history," said a USAF press release. To kick things off, the museum hosted a private ceremony including contributors to the exhibit, including Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass, Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John F. Bentivegna, former Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force and Air Force Museum Foundation Vice Chair Gerald R. Murray. Their presence celebrated the 8 out of 10 airman that hailed from the noncommissioned body, providing a thorough overview of the full breadth of enlisted duties seen throughout the force.

“The men and women of our enlisted corps are not merely participants in the chronicles of our nation’s defense, but they are architects of history,” Bass said. “Our heritage is rooted in the ideals of integrity, service and excellence — a tapestry woven with the threads of sacrifice and valor.”

“Today’s Space Force is small. It’s just like the museum when it started as an engineering study collection — very small,” Bentivegna said. “But Guardians are creating our Space Force history each and every day. And one hundred years from now, the Enlisted Exhibit in the National Museum of the U.S. Air and Space Force will be overflowing with that history that we’re making today.”

FMI: www.af.mil