Former Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Paul Airey has died

I just heard that former Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Paul Airey passed away this morning.

Airey became the first chief master sergeant of the Air Force in 1967 and in November 2007, he was at Gunter Annex and became the first enlisted man to receive the Air Force Association's lifetime achievement award.

The key to winning lots of awards, including AFA's, is to live a long time, Airey told the auditorium full of the Air Force's top enlisted members at the November ceremony that I reported on.

But that was an award that meant a lot to him: "Over the years, I've received all types of awards, but this is one of the ones I'll be extremely proud of," he said.

Airey turned 85 in December and was living in Panama City, Fla. He was an aerial gunner on B-24 bombers during World War II and is credited with 28 combat missions. He was captured after bailing out of his damaged plane and held as a prisoner of war from July 1944 to May 1945.

As first chief master sergeant of the Air Force, he helped create the Senior NCO Academy and the weighted airman promotion system, which is still in use today.

He retired in 1970. Airey was also a member of the Air University Foundation board.

About the AFA Lifetime Achievement Award:

As the 11th recipient of the award, Paul Airey joined John Glenn, a former senator, astronaut and Marine; Daniel Inouye, a Medal of Honor recipient and U.S. senator; Bernard Schriever, retired general who spearheaded the development of the Atlas, Thor, Titan and Minuteman ballistic missile systems and is the only man to have an Air Force base named for him while still living.