Photo By Capt. Kaitlin Holmes | Dr. William Kono, Col. Richard Smith, Brig. Gen. James Carroll, Lt. Col. Tracy Daniel...... read more read more
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii— Airmen and civilians gathered for the unveiling of the Hall of Motivation, a showcase for Airmen who transitioned from the enlisted corps to officer at the education center here, Feb. 19, 2016.
The 647th Force Support Squadron’s Force Development Flight began the Hall of Motivation project in 2014 to further motivate and inspire Airmen to pursue and complete higher education. The recently completed project pays tribute to Air Force members who have begun their careers in the enlisted tier, in pursuit of higher education, and transitioned to the officer corps, eventually rising to the top of their professions as general officers.
The Hall of Motivation, which is the first of its kind in any Air Force education center, houses 15 display cases with each of the general officers’ biographies, along with their personal advice for Airmen who want to follow a similar path. Each general, ranging from one to four stars, was asked to provide thoughts on the importance of higher education for enlisted personnel and junior officers.
“We’re always looking for ways to motivate our Airmen to go to school, so we thought why not use some former enlisted members who became generals to give us some words of wisdom,” said Dr. William Kono, the chief of Force Development at the 647th. “The hallway leads to the Air Force Officer Qualification Test taking room, so as they go to take the test, they can also think, ‘Wow, I can be like this.’”
Senior Airman Shaun Clark, a signals analyst at the 392nd Intelligence Squadron, is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree after recently completing all requirements for his Community College of the Air Force degree, and sees commissioning as a goal many enlisted members want to accomplish-and also one that few actually meet.
“The hall shows me those people truly were dedicated to commissioning and even though it was difficult, they stayed motivated and actually did it,” Clark said. “It is also a sign of hope; the individuals who are in this hall give me hope to one day get switched from the enlisted core to the officer core.”
Retired Brig. Gen. James Carroll, Hall of Motivation honoree and guest speaker for the unveiling ceremony, started his career in the enlisted corps before commissioning as an officer in 1986.
“Education is the key; it is the basis of everything,” said Carroll. “That’s why I’m here. I’m very passionate about that.”
Carroll spoke about the importance education had on the progression of his own Air Force career, and how it continuously supplements all he does, even as a retired military member.
“I’m happy to be part of this dedication ceremony, not only because I’m in that hall, but because of what it represents,” he said. “[Education] is the ground; it is the foundation from which we go upward.”
The education center at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, which houses the new Hall of Motivation, leads the Pacific Air Forces in degrees conferred for the CCAF, Bachelor’s and Master’s, supporting approximately 6,000 Airmen through in-person, online and over-the-phone counseling sessions.
| Date Taken: | 02.19.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 02.23.2016 19:48 |
| Story ID: | 189874 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 49 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, The Hall of Motivation: From stripes to stars, by Capt. Kaitlin Holmes, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
