Photo By Jessica Kendziorek | Chief Master Sgt. Vincent Armata, 403rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron superintendent,...... read more read more
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KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- More than 37 years equals almost two full careers, and this is the military service of just one chief as he comes to the end of one road and the beginning of a new way of life.
Chief Master Sgt. Vincent Armata, 403rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron superintendent, retires in August with an impressive career, leaving behind a legacy.
"Whoever takes over as the new superintendent will have big shoes to fill," said Maj. John Fite, 403rd AMXS commander. "His presence, being able to observe him and interact with him cannot be measured. Other chiefs as well as officers for that matter look to him or confer with him when making decisions. He is a rock around here, a wealth of knowledge and wisdom, which is going to be missed."
After graduating high school, Armata said that he hopped from job to job, but got bored after realizing it didn't take long for him to master those jobs. He said he had always been fascinated by the structure of the military, and after listening to a co-worker, that everyone called Sarge, talk about his experiences, he decided to join.
May 25, 1980. Like everyone else, Armata remembers the day he took the oath, enlisting into the Air Force. After attending basic military training in July, 1980, his Air Force career started as an airframe repair specialist, or as it is now called a structural repair specialist.
"After I did my four years of active duty, I joined the Air Reserve Technician program at the 403rd Wing at Keesler AFB; but due to changing missions and cut backs, I left and was lucky enough to land a position at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (in New Jersey) working for the 514th Air Mobility Wing in 1986," said Armata.
"But I missed working on C-130s, so about eight months later I went to work for the 913th Airlift Wing at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove, Pennsylvania until 1988, when I got a call from a buddy at the 403rd that the unit was coming back to life, changing it back into a weather mission. I put in for the position back here, landed the job, packed my stuff up and here I am."
After a few years and promotions, Armata said he distinctly remembers one Friday in 2003.
"Chief Mina Babb, my supervisor at the time, came to my office and said that on Monday you are being transferred to the maintenance flight," he said.
"I was shocked but I know that change is inevitable and you have to be up for a challenge,” said Armata. “I have found that people get comfortable in their niche and don't like change, but the old saying 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' is true."
And for Chief Armata, change was something he embraced, from leaving the fabrication shop in 2003, to going to the maintenance shop, honing his skills working in the isochronal inspection (ISO) dock, the wheel and tire shop, and aero repair, only to be moved back to the fabrication shop in 2006. Then again a move in 2007 to his current position as superintendent of the maintenance squadron.
Armata even looked at deployments as a growing opportunity and said to never shy away from a challenge or a deployment, because it will make you a better person, as well as increasing job performance. Master Sgt. Brett Keely, 403rd AMXS production superintendent, said that during a deployment Armata had confidence in him to perform even though he was in a higher leadership role than he was trained for and gave him the freedom to perform the job.
“That's not saying he didn't give me pointers and guidance as I needed it, but the trust he had in me to do the job meant a lot," Keely said.
"The one thing you can count on is that he is very passionate, whether it is about what he does or the people around him, no matter who they are or what job they hold. He is very encouraging to others and is one of a kind," said Senior Master Sgt. Delphia Trippe, 403rd AMXS specialist flight chief. "He will be encouraging those young Airmen and trying to leave behind anything he can that will help and influence them until the day he walks out the door."
The one thing all of these members had in common was they view Chief Armata as a great mentor and a great example of the kind of leader they aspire to become. They also agree their careers were influenced by the way he takes care of his people, by putting everything he has into what he does, his work ethic and the passion for his job.
"He is great, he is 'the Chief', he is a peoples’ chief," said Keely. "He makes sure his people are taken care of at all times, and you can't ask for any more than that."
"When he retires, the wing is going to miss having a chief that people want to follow and that people can trust," said Senior Master Sgt. Sherita Johnson, 41st Aerial Port Squadron air transportation superintendent. "He knows what he is doing, is a good person to work with and for."
Being a chief, according to Armata, means that you always make sure your troops have a place to sleep, food to eat, and that they are getting paid. If they have that they will handle the rest.
“In my position you can't help but at times be a parental figure," said Armata. As an NCO you are sometimes the parent, the accountant, the confidant, just be there to help them or point them in the right direction. Be sincere, try to stay humble and don't forget where you came from."
Armata has lead and given advice to Airmen for decades and he said that the best advice he has is for Airmen to never be in a position where they can't be promoted, complete professional military education as soon as possible and don't give anyone a reason to hold back a promotion. He also wants his people not to be afraid to make a decision or a mistake because a lot of times people try to make the perfect decision, but sometimes any decision is better than none.
"Quite simply, he has been in the Air Force longer than I have been alive," said Maj. Adam Zeithammel, 803rd AMXS operations officer. "You can't replace 37 years and the knowledge that he has acquired, but because of the type of man that he is, the type of chief that he is, the type of leader that he is, he is always mentoring from the youngest Airman and all the way up to officers. It is through that commitment to mentoring and developing every member of the unit that he has prepared them to lead and take charge, his legacy will continue through all of the people and the lives that he has touched."
As a final bit of advice, Armata said, "Treat people the way you want to be treated and do your job, be a subject matter expert, most importantly be proud of what you are doing and be the best at it."
| Date Taken: | 08.03.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 10.31.2017 10:30 |
| Story ID: | 253531 |
| Location: | KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Web Views: | 49 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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