Senior is ‘up in the air’ about making chief

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt Jeff Nevison
  • 39th Air Base wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  Senior Master Sgt. Louis Orrie, 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron superintendant, recently learned that he was selected for chief master sergeant while deployed to Incirlik.

Sergeant Orrie is a C-17 aircraft loadmaster evaluator and was flying the day the results for Chief were released.

"As soon as I landed, my group and squadron commanders, as well as my chief loadmaster, were there waiting to let me know," said Sergeant Orrie. "They presented me with my stripes and 'tacked' them on."

Sergeant Orrie said a whirlwind of emotion hit him when he found out he had "made" Chief.

"It took nearly a week before it sank in," he said. "I don't know if there are many words available to describe how I felt when I found out, but relief, joy, excitement and satisfaction come to mind."

Sergeant Orrie has had many influences throughout his career.

"There have been many people who've positively and negatively affected me," he said. "My advice is to learn from the negative people and never repeat their actions. We can only make a difference by not continuing negative cycles."

Among those who've influenced Sergeant Orrie, one stands out.

"That would be my wife, Mona," he said. "She has been a driving force in helping me get to where I am today."

Sergeant Orrie is serving a four-month deployment at Incirlik until March.

"I am here primarily as the superintendant of the 817 EAS, along with my secondary occupation as a C-17 Aircraft Loadmaster evaluator," said Sergeant Orrie. "I make sure the Airmen under me are prepared to fly alone and operate the aircraft safely."

Sergeant Orrie said in his profession, integrity goes hand-in-hand with safety.

"Although I value all three Air Force Core Values, Integrity is most significant," he said. "I need to be able to trust that Airmen inspecting the aircraft will be honest and up front if something is wrong so it can be fixed."

Sergeant Orrie said making chief was not an initial priority, but his plans changed.

"I didn't plan on making chief when I came in because I wasn't sure whether I would stay in past my initial six years," said Sergeant Orrie. "It wasn't until later in my career that I started thinking about making [chief]."

Sergeant Orrie said if he could have one job in the civilian sector, it would be in homeland security.

"We've been shown how vulnerable nations can be to attacks, and Mumbai, India, is a case-in-point," he said. "What happened there, and others tragedies like 9-11, emphasize the need to keep up our guard."

Col. Joseph Wiley, 385th Air Expeditionary Group commander, said Sergeant Orrie is the consummate Airman.

"Sergeant Orrie embodies the heroic qualities of the American Airman," said Col. Wiley. "He's one of those Airmen of whom you can say 'Sleep well America, Sergeant Orrie is on duty.'"

Sergeant Orrie's advice for Airman who dream of making chief is to train hard and be a positive role model.

"The people you are training will eventually take your place," he said. "If you study hard and put the Air Force's needs and the needs of others before yourself, you will be well on your way."