CAFB says farewell to retiring Chief Bowlan

  • Published
  • By Airman Josh Harbin
  • 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
COLUMBUS AFB, Miss. --  The 14th Flying Training Wing Command Chief Master Sergeant, Chief Master Sgt. Ron Bowlan, had his retirement ceremony Tuesday at Kaye auditorium. 

A majority of Chief Bowlan's past influences were in attendance, including his parents, his son and the owner of Greek to Me!, where Chief Bowlan spent a majority of his off-duty time cooking. 

Chief Bowlan grew up in Paige, Ariz., until he entered the Air Force in September 1983.
His background includes various duties as Chief Enlisted Manager, Training and Education, Fuels Operations, Fuels Management and Fuels Quality Control. His assignments include bases in are in Texas, Nevada, Alaska, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Panama and Japan. 

In his 25 years of service, he achieved the rank of Senior Airman below the zone, and climbed the enlisted ladder quickly with a high success rate on all promotion tests. 

His most recent assignment before his current role of Command Chief Master Sergeant was as a Fuels Manager at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. There, he was responsible for the professional development of 112 military and civilian personnel and managing more than $164 million in fuels infrastructure. 

When Chief Bowlan applied for the position Command Chief Master Sergeant, 14th Flying Training Wing commander, Col. Dave Gerber, said during Tuesday's ceremony, "After I'd interviewed Chief Bowlan, I quickly got through the rest of the applicants so I could call him back, because as you know, good guys get hired fast." 

After the ceremony, a luncheon was held on his behalf at the Columbus Club where he was roasted by fellow enlisted members and parting gifts were exchanged. Chief Bowlan made some final remarks to the BLAZE team members in attendance regarding his achievements and his confidence in the enlisted corps at CAFB. He hopes the bar will remain high for Airmen here. 

Worldwide, there are only 121 Command Chief Master Sergeants serving in today's Air Force. 

"I never thought when I came in that I would make the rank I have achieved," said Chief Bowlan in his closing comments to the audience. 

Chief Bowlan extended deep gratitude to his parents, his wife and his children as his inspiration to strive for excellence.