RAF Mildenhall welcomes new command chief

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Tenley Long
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
The office was completely bare -- it was obvious someone had just moved in. No photos or decorations hung from the walls. A small stack of papers sat on an empty desk along with a couple of computers, while a man was busy working away.

U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Curt Stanley is the man filling that vacant office, and Team Mildenhall welcomes him as the new 100th Air Refueling Wing command chief. July 1, 2016, marks the official beginning of Stanley’s new role.

He joined the Air Force in 1992, and although he is eligible for retirement, he isn’t finished serving just yet. Before accepting this new position, Stanley served as the 100th Maintenance Group superintendent.

“Chief Stanley brings four years of familiarity with the Bloody Hundredth mission to the command chief position,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Thomas D. Torkelson, 100th ARW commander. “His deep maintenance expertise will help ensure 100th ARW mission readiness, his analytical mind will help the 100th ARW attain new and necessary levels of innovation, and he and his wife Lisa are already well-known across Team Mildenhall as selfless leaders who go above and beyond to care for our Airmen and their families.”

Stanley is no stranger to Team Mildenhall, however his new found role will be a different experience for him, and with great power comes great responsibility.

“As command chief I serve as the voice for our enlisted force. I need to make sure that they are being advocated for,” Stanley said. “With that, I think another part of this role is developing relationships and an environment where Airman, NCOs and officers feel comfortable coming to this office with their problems and concerns. I want to make sure that base leadership knows I am here for them and I want Airmen to know this office is here for them if they need it. I want to focus on enabling every Airmen and eliminating road blocks for them so they can do what they do best.”

Every new leader brings a set of expectations for every Airman to uphold. With this new position, Stanley brought his own set of guidelines to employ.

“For Team Mildenhall, I want them to focus on the mission. I really want Airmen to be able to identify the wing’s vision and understand what that means to them, so they can make the connection of how they fit into the mission. Every Airman matters, everyone has a job and everyone needs to be focused. I ask that everyone give everything you have, then take time to recharge and be ready to do it all again,” Stanley said. “Take care of yourselves and your families. We are here to serve and that means a lot. Focusing on the mission while striking balance, that’s important.”

Before the position was passed on, Stanley took the time to learn from Torkelson, Col. John Howard, 100th ARW vice commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Anthony Cruz Munoz, the previous 100th ARW command chief, on how they connect with Airmen.

“Between Col. Torkelson and Chief Cruz, I’m trying to pick up on how they engage with Airmen,” Stanley said. “Spending any time with Col. Torkelson and seeing how he can speak to an Airman, walk away from the conversation and three months later he can see that Airman and know exactly what that conversation was -- that’s just amazing. When I interviewed for this position, that was something I stressed to Col. Torkelson; that I really hope I can pick up on how he does that.”

“Chief Stanley already personifies our ‘Square-D Away’ vision of 'Ready, Balanced, Better!' We're lucky to have him and Lisa on our team. We are blessed to have them remain in the 100th ARW in this new role," Torkelson said. “Chief Stanley, Col. Howard and I look forward to serving with you in the months ahead.”