By Suzanne Downing 
Chief Master Sgt. David R. Wolfe, formerly of of Eagle River, has been named the 21st Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, the highest enlisted position in the service.
The announcement was made Nov. 6 by the Secretary of the Air Force, recognizing Wolfe’s more than three decades of distinguished service across the globe, including many years stationed in Alaska.
Wolfe will now serve as the senior enlisted advisor to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach, providing counsel on matters affecting the welfare, readiness, and morale of the nation’s 600,000 active-duty, Guard, and Reserve Airmen.
A 1992 enlistee, Wolfe’s Air Force career has spanned missile security, space warning operations, elite guard duty, logistics, and professional military education.
But Alaska has played a defining role in his journey. Over the years, he served at Elmendorf Air Force Base and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in a series of key assignments — including patrolman, flight chief, commandant of the Elmendorf Professional Military Education Center, and later as Command Chief Master Sergeant of the 3rd Wing and the 11th Air Force.
In 2018, he became the Senior Enlisted Leader for the Alaskan NORAD Region and Alaskan Command, representing the interests of Airmen serving across the Arctic frontier. Earlier tours also included duty at Clear Air Force Station and multiple deployments supporting operations in the Middle East.
Wolfe’s career has also taken him across the world, from Germany and Italy to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. His international and combat assignments reflect a broad operational experience that has helped shape his leadership perspective.
His most recent post was as Command Chief Master Sergeant of Air Combat Command at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, before being chosen for the Air Force’s top enlisted job.
Now, as the 21st Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, Wolfe will represent the voice of the enlisted force at the highest levels of the Department of Defense, continuing a career of service that began more than 30 years ago — and that traces its roots back to his hometown of Eagle River, Alaska.
What a great honor and exemplary career! Now that’s service. Maybe Chuck Schumer and his cronies should stop holding his pay and the rest of government hostage!!!
I am not a veteran and much of the details of this appointment are appreciated only by those in the military, but my basic understanding is that this is a big deal. Congratulations to The Command Chief Master Sergeant.
Sergeants get the job done and without them nothing would happen in the military.
Congratulations sir!