Dover Chief selected to be commandant

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  • By Airman 1st Class Shen-Chia Chu
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DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  "If I ever make chief, my ultimate dream job would be to become a commandant," said one Dover Airman more than a decade ago.

Twenty years later, that Airman's dream has now come true.

Chief Master Sgt. Larence Kirby, 436th Medical Group superintendent, was recently selected for the position of Commandant of the Mathies Non-commissioned Officer Academy at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss.

He will be in charge of 18 instructors who will be teaching technical sergeants how to become better supervisors and leaders.

"This is my dream Air Force job," said Chief Kirby. "I've wanted this job ever since I was inspired by my two former commandants, retired Chief Master Sgt. Douglas Edwards and retired Chief Master Sgt. Richard Folmer."

The chief said the commandants were mentors who taught valuable lessons for the future.

"They talked about how to become a better leader and why it was fulfilling being a commandant. It was like seeing your children grow up because the technical sergeants that get there don't know what to expect and you're pulling different NCOs together to make up a family," said Chief Kirby. "I just knew this was the job for me.

"The academy helps technical sergeants handle difficulties and nuances to be stronger NCOs, moving further with necessary leadership skills and supervisory management to become Senior NCOs," he said. "It's the equivalent of being a dean or a principal; I'm the leader in the school. My job is to make sure the students get taught and the instructors are taken care of as well."

Though the chief has served more than 24 years, he said it wasn't always easy to keep trying to reach for his dream.

"I've applied many times for other jobs and have been turned down. But if it's a job I want to do, I stay prepared for it," he said. "Don't give up, be persistent and keep pursuing your goals. People assume as a chief, things come easy and that we've never had setbacks. If you don't get something the first time, you have to keep going after it."