Paul W. Airey

Paul Wesley Airey (December 13, 1923 – March 11, 2009) was an airman of the United States Air Force who served as the first Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force from 1967 to 1969.

Early life and education Airey born on December 13, 1923, in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He entered military service in 1940 after two years of high school in Quincy, Massachusetts. In 1948 he obtained his high school equivalency certificate, and later completed 62 semester hours of study at McKendree College, Lebanon, Illinois. His military schooling included courses in communication mechanics and personnel management. He is a graduate of the Air Defense Command Noncommissioned Officer Academy. The academy was renamed the Paul W. Airey NCO Academy on December 13, 2006, in his honor.

Military career Airey enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in November 1942. During World War II, he was an aerial gunner and radio operator on B-24 Liberator bombers and is credited with 28 combat missions over Europe. In July 1944, on his 28th combat mission, a bombing run over Vienna, Austria, Airey was forced to bail out of his flak-damaged aircraft over Hungary. He was captured by the German military and was taken to Stalag Luft IV, a prisoner of war (POW) camp near the Baltic Sea for Allied airmen. In February 1945, Airey and 6,000 fellow POWs were forced to march 400 miles to another camp near Berlin as the Soviet Red Army got closer. He was liberated in May 1945 by British forces. By that time, Airey had dysentery and weighed less than 100 pounds.

Airey reenlisted in the Air Force after completing a recuperation leave. He went to Naha Air Base, Okinawa, where he was responsible for radio repair. During the Korean War he was awarded the Legion of Merit, unusual for an enlisted person, for saving more than a million dollars in electronic equipment that would have deteriorated without the corrosion control assembly line he developed.

Airey spent 14 of his 30-year career as a first sergeant. This included assignment to the Air Defense Command's 4756th Civil Engineering Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. On April 3, 1967, he was appointed the first Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, the service's ultimate noncommissioned officer position, having been selected from among 21 major command nominees. In this role he was adviser to Secretary of the Air Force Harold Brown and Air Force Chief of Staff, General John P. McConnell on matters concerning welfare, effective utilization and progress of Air Force enlisted personnel.

Later life Airey retired from the Air Force on August 1, 1970. He died in Panama City, Florida, on March 11, 2009.

Awards and decorations

Personal decorationsLegion of Merit with bronze oak leaf clusterMeritorious Service MedalAir Medal with bronze oak leaf clusterAir Force Commendation MedalUnit awardsPresidential Unit CitationAir Force Outstanding Unit AwardService awardsPrisoner of War MedalAir Force Good Conduct MedalArmy Good Conduct MedalCampaign and service medalsAmerican Campaign MedalEuropean-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four bronze service starsWorld War II Victory MedalNational Defense Service Medal with bronze service starKorean Service MedalService, training, and marksmanship awardsAir Force Longevity Service Award with four bronze oak leaf clustersNCO Professional Military Education Graduate RibbonSmall Arms Expert Marksmanship RibbonForeign awardsUnited Nations Service Medal for Korea

Professional memberships and associations