From left, Chief Master Sgt. Robert Sealey, U.S. Air Forces Central command chief, looks on as his boss, Lt. Gen. David Goldfein, Combined Forces Air Component Commander, March 15, 2012 at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. As command chief, Sealey advises the commander and staff on matters influencing the health, welfare, morale, and effective utilization of assigned enlisted personnel. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. David Salanitri)
From right, Senior Master Sgt. Jim Essary, 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force - Afghanistan, explains the living arrangements for his unit to Chief Master Sgt. Robert Sealey, U.S. Air Forces Central command chief, March 12, 2012 at Kabul International Airport, Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt David Salanitri)
From left, Chief Master Sgt. Robert Sealey, U.S. Air Forces Central command chief, talks with Chief Master Sgt. Al Herring, 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force - Afghanistan command chief, and Chief Master Sgt. John Hoffman, 438th Air Expeditionary Wing command chief, at Kabul International Airport, March 12, 2012. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. David Salanitri)
From left, Senior Airman Saleisa Lampkin, 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force - Afghanistan, smiles and laughs as she talks to Chief Master Sgt. Robery Sealey, U.S. Air Forces Central command chief, at Kabul International Airport, Afghanistan on March 12, 2012. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. David Salanitri)
Middle, Chief Master Sgt. Robert Sealey, U.S. Air Forces Central command chief, laughs at a joke made by Chief Master Sgt. Al Herring, 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force - Afghanistan command chief, during a dinner with first sergeants and chiefs March 13, 2012 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. During this trip, Herring doesn't have to try hard to get his peers and Airmen to laugh. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. David Salanitri)
Chief Master Sgt. Al Herring, 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force - Afghanistan command chief, visited the Airmen of the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing at Kabul International Airport, Afghanistan, March 13, 2012. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. David Salanitri)
From left, Chief Master Sgt. John Hoffman, 438th Air Expeditionary Wing command chief, talks with Chief Master Sgt. Robert Sealey, U.S. Air Forces Central command chief, about the wing's operations at Kabul International Airport, March 13, 2012. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. David Salanitri)
Chief Master Sgt. Robert Sealey, U.S. Air Forces Central command chief checks his e-mail for important messages at Kabul International Airport, March 13, 2012. Sealey never lets his guard down and is always on call. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. David Salanitri)
Chief Master Sgt. Robert Sealey, U.S. Air Forces Central command chief, fights off exhaustion during a trip to Kabul International Airport, Afghanistan, March 13, 2012. During his trip to Afghanistan, Sealey visited numerous locations often traveling hundreds of miles a day, flying from base to base. As command chief, Sealey seldom has "off time." (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. David Salanitri)
Senior Airmen Tariq Lewis, 455th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintance Squadron, asks Chief Master Sgt. Robert Sealey, U.S. Air Forces Central command chief, a question about the future of the A-10 Thunderbolt II, March 14, 2012 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. During each visit, Sealey opens the floor up for questions, comments and concerns. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. David Salanitri)
Center, Chief Master Sgt. Robert Sealey, U.S. Air Forces Central command chief, is briefed about entry control points, March 14, 2012 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Only weeks earlier, 2,500 Afghan protesters tried to force their way through this ECP, but were denied entry by dedicated 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron Airmen. Sealey is a former security forces Airman. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. David Salanitri)
The gunner's duty and equipment on a HH-60 Blackhawk is explained to Chief Master Sgt. Robert Sealey, U.S. Air Forces Central command chief, March 14, 2012 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. This helicopter is used for combat search and rescue missions here. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. David Salanitri)
Center room, Chief Master Sgt. Robert Sealey, U.S. Air Forces Central command chief, engages in discussion with project leaders from the Air Expeditionary Advisory Training Mission - Afghanistan, March 15, 2012 at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. David Salanitri)
Afghan Airmen from the Air Expeditionary Advisory Training Mission - Afghanistan, conduct fire training March 15, 2012 at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. Chief Master Sgt. Robert Sealey, U.S. Air Forces Central command chief, observed training while visiting the base. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. David Salanitri)
From left, Chief Master Sgt. Al Herrring, 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force - Afghanistan command chief, looks on as Chief Master Sgt. Thomas Vallely, 451st Air Expeditionary Wing command chief makes a remark to Chief Master Sgt. Robert Sealey, U.S. Air Forces Central command chief, March 15, 2012 at Kandakar Airfield, Afghanistan. Over two days, Sealey visited Airmen of the 451st AEW, briefing them on current AFCENT operations and answering questions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. David Salanitri)
Afghan airmen from the Air Expeditionary Advisory Training Mission - Afghanistan, answer training questions from Chief Master Sgt. Robert Sealey, U.S. Air Forces Central command chief, March 15, 2012 at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. David Salanitri)
Lt. Col. Ed Sommers, 651st Air Expeditionary Group deputy commander, explains issues he's facing to Chief Master Sgt. Robert Sealey, U.S. Air Forces Central command chief at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, March 16, 2012. During this dinner meeting, Sommers explained how his group often faces challenges being located away from an U.S. air base. The very next day, Sealey was able to get the base commandant to agree for an Air Force representative to be on the Camp's board. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. David Salanitri)
Senior Master Sgt. Chris Schott, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, hugs Chief Master Sgt. Robert Sealey, U.S. Air Forces Central command chief at Camp Bashton, Afghanistan, March 16, 2012. Earlier in the year, Sealey visited Schott and his team when they lost three of their Airmen to an explosion. The respect between both men can be seen on Schott's face here. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. David Salanitri)
Chief Master Sgt. Robert Sealey, U.S. Air Forces Central command chief, takes a moment to grab an extra minute of sleep on a C-130 Hercules at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, March 16, 2012. During his trip to Afghanistan, Sealey visited numerous locations often traveling hundreds of miles a day, flying from base to base. As command chief, Sealey seldom has "off time." (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. David Salanitri)
by Staff Sgt. David Salanitri
U.S. Air Forces Central Public Affairs
3/22/2012 - SOUTHWEST ASIA -- The difference between a person who commands and a person who leads is the difference between having a below average unit and a unit that sets the bar high for others to meet. Airmen of U.S. Air Forces Central are lucky -- they have a leader.
Chief Master Sgt. Robert Sealey, AFCENT command chief, is a man defined by his character. Each decision he makes, each word he speaks, comes with intentions to make life better for his Airmen and to make AFCENT successful in everything the organization does.
As Airmen, it's easy to look at the command chief position as just a chief with a star between his stripes. When they visit, your first thought is "guess I better get ready for the dog and pony show." But in the case of Chief Sealey, this is the last thing he wants.
"When I travel to Afghanistan, my goal is to get eyes on my Airmen," said Chief Sealey, who's worn the rank of chief master sergeant for more than seven years, and still has five left before he retires. "That's why I prefer meeting small groups of Airmen. When there are a hundred Airmen in the room, it's hard to look at each one and really gauge how they are doing. I need them to tell me what's wrong, how I can make things better for them and to just listen to them. I want to be where the rubber meets the road."
As Chief Sealey walks around base, he'll spot random clusters of Airmen and walk up to them. Whether they're at the smoke pit or grilling with some friends, the chief will approach anyone with the words "U.S. Air Force" written on their chest.
"Hi, I'm Chief Sealey. I'm the AFCENT command chief. So, when was the last time you talked to your family?" is his typical introduction and first question.
The way Chief Sealey talks about AFCENT Airmen is similar to the way dads talk about their kids. He's caring, he fights for them and he's proud.
Walking through the entry control point at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, Chief Sealey is briefed how only a couple weeks earlier this ECP was swarmed by nearly 2,500 Afghan citizens. Standing between the protesters and Bagram Airfield was a line of a few dozen Air Force security forces Airmen. Living up to their nickname, "Defenders," these Airmen guarded the airfield like 300-pound New York Giants linemen protecting quarterback Eli Manning on Super Bowl Sunday. I'm sure Chief Sealey, a native of Zanesville, Ohio, and die-hard Pittsburg Steelers fan, would much rather have read a "Big Ben" Roethlisberger (Steelers quarterback) reference.
These Defenders, who held the average rank of senior airman, protected folks at Bagram, but not without a price. There were detached retinas, cheeks with pellets embedded in them from high-powered pellet rifles and bruises from rocks thrown -- these Airmen stood the line no matter what.
With dozens of AK-47 rifles in the crowd, one bad decision could have had huge implications. Throughout the three-day protest, the self control displayed by these Airmen stuck with Chief Sealey throughout the remainder of his trip in Afghanistan.
"The Defenders at Bagram made tactical decisions, which had strategic implications," said Chief Sealey to several groups of Airmen, NCOs and Senior NCOs during visits to Airmen in Afghanistan, referring to the discipline demonstrated by the Airmen in not discharging their weapons prematurely, which would have caused huge ripples in diplomacy.
Spoken like a football coach to his team during halftime, "Let me tell you something," says Chief Sealey to a group of junior enlisted Airmen during a dinner at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. "The people back home ... they're like sheep. Bad men are like the wolf. It's been a long time since the sheep have seen the wolf, so they forget he's out there. But we're like the sheepdog. We've seen the wolf and we know the threat. We're here so the sheep don't have to see the wolf. Remember that."
Chief Sealey has been deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of operations for about six months. Of those six months, he has spent more than half of that time on the road visiting Airmen. And those travel days aren't easy days. At times, he may spend only one night at a base before catching a C-130 Hercules to another base in Afghanistan. The effects traveling in the CENTCOM AO has on the body is similar to traveling by plane in the States multiplied by five -- it wears you down.
Here's one of the biggest differences between a command chief and most Airmen -- if Chief Sealey is worn down, tired or simply having a bad day, he can't show it to anyone. He always has to wear his "Superman face." But here's a secret ... command chiefs are human. They get tired. They need time to Skype with their family back home, just like you and me. But throw a couple of command chiefs together in one room and you'll have instant comedy. Watching Chief Sealey, Chief Master Sgt. Al Herring, 9th Air Expeditionary Task Force - Afghanistan command chief, and Chief Master Sgt. Thomas Vallely, 451st Air Expeditionary Wing command chief, sit down and interact together has the resemblance of sitting on a bench during a Little League game, talking about the things boys talk about. For those moments when it's just the boys/command chiefs together, it looks like all three could let their guard down for a second, and just be real.
Chief Master Sgt. Robert Sealey is a man--a great man, but he's still just a man. Growing up, my mom used to preach a phrase to me, "Evil prevails when good men do nothing." Chief Sealey is a good man, and he's doing something. Each day, he fights for his Airmen, their families and for every U.S. citizen. Next time Chief Sealey comes to your work space, talk to him. Ask him questions. Value his visit.
A long time ago, I heard someone say, "Leaders, value your troops. Troops, value your leaders." Chief Sealey is a leader we need to value ... and maybe even thank. Thank him for traveling hundreds ... sometimes thousands of miles just to shake your hand and make sure you're doing all right; thank him for fighting for you every chance he gets; thank him for not accepting the minimum of you, but the very best of you; but most of all, thank him for leading you instead of just commanding.
