Q and A: Getting to know the new command chief Published Aug. 11, 2009 By Airman Cynthia A. Haughton 99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- In July 2009, Chief Master Sgt. Bruce Heinzen became the command chief of the 57th Wing. The following questions were asked to help Airmen get to know him. Q. How did you end up as a command chief? A. I was getting ready to PCS from Hill AFB, and my command chief approached me about the opportunity to be considered for duty as a command chief. He also told me there was not enough representation from maintenance chiefs. It would be fair to say I didn't jump at the opportunity, but my command chief said, "The Air Force has asked you to serve, and now I am asking you to serve." I was afraid of being out of my element, but I submitted my package anyway - put my name in the hat. I really didn't think I'd get the opportunity. After my records were screened by a board of general officers and MAJCOM command chiefs, I was selected as a candidate and then was selected to serve as a command chief. Q. What is your favorite thing about your job? A. Each and every day, I have an opportunity to impact 1... 2... 3... 500 Airmen. How that translates to me is that I get an opportunity to make a difference. Q. What is the biggest challenge for you as a command chief? A. Getting every Airman to understand that everyone, everyday, has an opportunity to be a leader. Many believe the role of a leader is tied to their pay grade; that is absolutely incorrect. Every day you do something, you're leading by example - whether it's good or bad. If you've had a bad day and it wasn't your best example of leadership, you've still led by example and it's pretty hard to undo that. It's important that as we put on our Superman suit (aka uniform), we're ready to lead, not just by example, but by a positive example. Most important to me is making sure every Airman at every level understands that the Air Force accomplishes its mission because of what they do. If I'm not doing everything I can to improve that, I'm failing. Q. Are there any current issues or topics that you would like Airmen to know about? A. One of the issues the Air Force is working on is the concept of jointness. It is important that each Airman working in a joint service environment not only understands their role, but also understands the role of Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines within that organization. That's where we have to start - with a common understanding of what we each bring to the fight and the impact each of us has on mission accomplishment. Another focus of mine is something I call deliberate development, a roadmap towards the development of the whole Airman. Airmen should be looking at career broadening opportunities, such as serving as a military training instructor, or other special duties. The broader an Airman's experience is, the stronger the Airman's leadership foundation. Our Air Force has to have well-rounded and deliberately developed leaders because, as our horizons expand, we're doing more nontraditional roles than we ever have before. I am committed to making sure that every Airman has this opportunity. Q. How do you fit into complementing what Brig. Gen. Handy does? A. I provide guidance, counsel, advice and input on a variety of things that impact the wing at large, including mission, people and support. I'm primarily focused on enlisted topics and issues, and when Brig. Gen. Handy makes a decision about enlisted Airmen, I'm included in the process. I bring an enlisted perspective that a senior officer may or may not have thought about. It's not about intelligence; it's about perspective and experience. Q. Is there anything else that you would like Airmen here to know about you? A. There is nothing Airmen do that I don't care about. Q. What activities on base are you involved with that allow you to directly mingle with Airmen? A. Weekly dorm walkthroughs, shop and duty section visits, after hours visits, Professional Airmen and Sports Councils, numerous committees, ceremonies and off duty events. If our Airmen are there, I try to make sure I'm there. I don't limit my involvement to only enlisted functions, though, because the perspectives that officers and civilians bring are as important. I'm very into that "Big A" thing. I like the term "Airman", and I hope that as time goes by, we all grab onto that a little bit more. Q. Is there anything else that you would like to share? A. My peers and I need to make sure Airmen are prepared to lead our Air Force into and through things we haven't even thought of yet. We cannot allow Airmen to lose the feeling we had at our BMT graduation; the feeling that there wasn't a single thing we couldn't do because we were now Airmen in the United States Air Force. Many of us have forgotten that incredible sense of pride and accomplishment we felt standing on that parade field. I've often heard it said that everything we need to be successful in our Air Force career, we learned at basic training.
