Chief Master Sergeant ELIJAH M. EDWARDS
Chief Master Sergeant Elijah M. Edwards is the Command Chief, 436th Airlift Wing, Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. He serves as the principal advisor to the commander on matters of welfare, readiness, morale and effective deployment of more than 2,800 enlisted members of the combined C-5M Super Galaxy and C-17A wing, providing worldwide movement of high priority personnel and cargo. Dover Air Force Base is home to the Department of Defense's largest aerial port, Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations, and the Air Mobility Command Museum.
Chief Edwards entered the Air Force in 1999 as a Weather Apprentice. After serving as a Combat Weatherman with the 82d Airborne Division, he crossed-trained into the Special Operations Weather career field, which transitioned to the Special Reconnaissance career field in 2019. Since entering the Air Force, Chief Edwards has had eight permanent duty assignments across Europe and the United States. The Chief has also deployed five times in support of Operations IRAQI FREEDOM, ENDURING FREEDOM-Afghanistan, and ENDURING FREEDOM-Trans Sahel. He was the Senior Enlisted Leaders for the Special Warfare Training Support Squadron. Prior to his current position, Chief Edwards was the Senior Enlisted Leader of the 321st Special Tactics Squadron, 352d Special Operations Wing, Air Force Special Operations Command, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, United Kingdom.
1999 Basic Military Training, Lackland AFB, Texas
2000 Weather Apprentice Course, Keesler AFB, Miss.
2003 Airman Leadership School, Pope AFB, N.C.
2006 Associate Degree, Meteorology, Community College of the Air Force
2011 Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
2013 Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2016 Joint Fundamentals Course, Joint Special Operations University, by correspondence
2017 Enterprise Management Course, Joint Special Operations University, by correspondence
2019 Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2019 Joint Special Operations Forces Senior Enlisted Academy
2021 Bachelors of Science in Organizational Leadership (summa cum laude), University of Charleston
March 2000 – May 2002, Weather Apprentice, 28th Operational Weather Squadron, Shaw AFB, S.C.
May 2002 – September 2006, Airborne Weather Forecaster, Fort Bragg, N.C.
September 2006 – October 2008, Special Tactics Combat Weather, 321st Special Tactics Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom
October 2008 – September 2009, Special Operations Weather Team Journeyman, 321st Special Tactics Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom
September 2009 – January 2012, Special Operations Weather Team Craftsman, 10th Combat Weather Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
January 2012 –November 2013, Standards and Evaluations NCOIC, 10th Combat Weather Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
November 2013 – January 2017, Blue Team Flight Chief, 321st Special Tactics Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom
January 2017 – October 2019, Joint PME Course Director, Joint Special Operations University, MacDill AFB, Fla.
October 2019 – September 2020, Special Reconnaissance Superintendent, Special Warfare Training Wing, JBSA-Lackland, Texas
September 2020 – August 2023, Senior Enlisted Leader, Special Warfare Training Support Squadron, JBSA-Lackland, Texas
August 2023 – May 2025, Senior Enlisted Leader, 321st Special Tactics Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom
May 2025 – Present, Command Chief, 436th Airlift Wing, Dover AFB, Del.
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Army Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Army Achievement Medal
Air Force Combat Action Medal
2012 Air Force Special Operations Weather Noncommissioned Officer of the Year
2020 Air Education and Training Command Special Reconnaissance Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year
2019 Distinguished Graduate, Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy
2019 Distinguished Graduate, Joint Special Operations Forces Senior Enlisted Academy
Airman Basic August 1999
Airman August 1999
Airman First Class September 1999
Senior Airman January 2002
Staff Sergeant August 2003
Technical Sergeant February 2010
Master Sergeant January 2015
Senior Master Sergeant July 2019
Chief Master Sergeant May 2023
