8th CMSAF Sam Parish speaks with Nellis Airmen Published Feb. 14, 2012 By Airman 1st Class Whitney Jackson Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- -- The eighth Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Sam Parish came to speak with more than 800 enlisted Airmen and give them an opportunity to ask questions Feb. 10, 2012, at the Nellis Air Force Base theatre. Parish retired from the Air Force June 30, 1986, after serving 32 years of active duty time. Even though Parish retired over 25 years ago, he still remains active mentoring Airmen throughout the Air Force. "I have been part of the Air Force since it was seven years old," said Parish. "There hasn't been 48 hours in my entire life that I've been out of touch with the Air Force." The Air Force has gone through dramatic changes from the technology to the jobs available to women entering the service, to the operation methods and how many Airmen are in today's Air Force mission. "We're the smallest we've ever been," said Parish. "But we continue to operate as usual. That says a lot about our Airmen today. Your generation is more qualified than most of the chiefs today. The Air Force expects a whole lot more out of you than our generation ever did." Having fewer Airmen to do the job at hand and to make sure it is up to standard can be very stressful. Supervisors, unit, commanders and wingmen are responsible to make sure every Airman is taken care of and are able to handle the tasks assigned to them. "'I will never leave an Airman behind,'" said Parish. "That doesn't only apply to Afghanistan and Iraq. That's if someone's failing in Airmen Leadership, if they're having a hard time with their Career Development Course or if something just doesn't seem right." Parish has been mentoring Airmen for more than 57 years and has spoken with thousands of Airmen throughout the United States. His main focus throughout his career has been for supervisors to make sure they take care of their Airmen. "Mentoring is about developing Airmen," said Parish. "Make sure your Airmen don't fail. When they start to slide, pick them up and do it again. This makes them know they can do it, but also know there is a safety net ready to catch them." To conclude the enlisted call, Parish closed by saying take care of my Air Force, your families and your everyday life.
