Photo By Senior Airman Grace Riegel | Command Chief Master Sergeant Edward N. Taylor III poses for a photo Feb 29, 2024, at...... read more read more
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Command Chief Master Sergeant Edward N. Taylor III's grandfather on his mother’s side was the first black milkman in town, and his great great great grandfather on his father’s side was one of the first runaway slaves to own property in Mississippi.
Being the first runs in Chief Taylor's blood, and now he is making history in real time as the first black Command Chief of the 179th Cyberspace Wing and the first Command Chief of an Air National Guard Cyberspace Wing.
At eight years old Taylor's grandfather, Clavin Gant, told him stories of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first black military aviators. The Tuskegee Airmen, named after their training location at the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Tuskegee, Alabama, formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Force and helped encourage the eventual integration of the U.S. Armed Forces.
While seeing the look in his grandfather’s eyes and the pride in his voice while sharing stories of resilience and shattering glass ceilings, Taylor knew that he would pursue a career in the military.
Taylor joined The Ohio Army National Guard on January 4th, 1990, as an Aircraft Armament Technician on the AH-1S Cobra Attack Helicopter. He later joined the Air National Guard in 1999 as a KC135R crew chief.
The morning of Basic Training Graduation, Taylor knew he was about to start the journey that he envisioned at eight years old, upholding the legacy of the black service members that paved the way for his service. That same day, Taylor got to experience his grandfather's pride as he stood in his Army dress uniform in front of the man that had shared the stories to shape his career.
“My grandfather was exceptionally proud. He would be ecstatic to see what I am doing today," said Taylor.
Taylor states that his purpose both in life and as a leader is to help people be better people. Taylor’s office door is always open for any conversation, from mentorship of a newly enlisted Airman, to talking about weekend plans with his fellow 1-7-Niners giving him the opportunity to know them on a personal level. In Taylor’s career he has made having hard conversations a priority, with a strong belief that addressing a problem head on is the only way to make room for growth.
“The key to being successful as a leader is transparency, making sure everybody knows, sees, and feels on the same level,” said Taylor.
While working with other senior leaders Taylor reminds his peers, “We are not turning the wrenches or on the keyboards anymore, we need to get out of that mindset, and focus on removing barriers so those doing the job can be as efficient and effective as possible.”
Taylor has been a member of the Ohio Memorial Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen Inc. for almost two decades, working to uphold the legacy, history, and values of those who were a part of the original Tuskegee Experience, and Introducing youth across Ohio to the world of aviation and science. Taylor helped plan the first Ohio Tuskegee Airmen Day in 2021, to continue annually on March 29th. Through his membership with The Tuskegee Airmen Ohio Memorial Chapter, Taylor has had the opportunity to meet multiple original Tuskegee Airmen.
“I had the chance to meet these airmen and hear what they had gone through and hear them say that they would do it all over again, that they loved the service,” said Taylor.
Chief Master Sergeant Edward N. Taylor III, was inspired in his life by many “firsts” and now 34 years into his career he holds two “first” titles of his own. All eyes are on him as he pioneers being the first Command Chief of a National Guard Cyberspace Wing, and the first black Command Chief in our installation’s 75 year history. As time progresses and barriers are removed, society will see less firsts, but we should always recognise those who paved the way.
“It is exciting to have the first, but the goal is to have a 31st and a 51st in a completely diversified force,” said Taylor.
| Date Taken: | 02.29.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 02.29.2024 16:57 |
| Story ID: | 465025 |
| Location: | MANSFIELD, OH, US |
| Web Views: | 201 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Chief Master Sergeant Edward N. Taylor III, Upholding a Legacy, by SrA Grace Riegel, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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