DVIDS – News – First Sergeants Symposium

Members stationed at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, were given the valuable opportunity to learn the roles and responsibilities of a First Sergeant during a First Sergeants Symposium held October 7-10, 2024.

A first sergeant’s primary responsibility is to advise commanders on the readiness, health, morale, welfare and quality of life of Airmen and their families to ensure a mission-ready force. Offered to Incirlik members, ranks E-5 through E-6, along with corporate-level leaders, this symposium was recently offered for the first time and taught participants various legal procedures, Airman resources and useful leadership strategies.

“There is no typical day as a first sergeant, everyone who does the job will do it in their own way,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. John Perkins, 39th Air Base Wing Staff Agency acting master sergeant. “People are always the focus and everyday working life changes quickly. They can go from advising the commander on disciplinary matters to assisting in awarding awards within a 10-minute window. So you have to be flexible and prepared for anything.”

Even if the senior sergeant or “shirt” of a unit is temporarily absent from the unit, responsibilities must still be carried out. Instead of taking a t-shirt from another unit and asking them for double support, participants in this symposium can now temporarily take on the role of an acting t-shirt.

“As an additional duty shirt, this experience helped me understand the purpose of a first sergeant on a greater level,” Perkins said. “Seeing how we can be there for our employees on some of their worst days and help them celebrate their best days is a very rewarding experience.”

Additionally, this symposium provides members interested in becoming a first sergeant the opportunity to learn about the role before formally applying for the commission. For example, incidents involving security guards were role-played to give those in attendance insight into how they could best be handled.

“I think it was eye-opening to have both scenarios discussed along with the first sergeant’s own experiences,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sergeant. Miguel Ortega-Guzman, 39th ABW chief financial officer. “If someone is applying for the position of master sergeant, this symposium will likely help them solidify or think twice about their responsibilities.”

The First Sergeants Council at Incirlik Air Force Base hosts the First Sergeant Symposium twice a year based on curriculum provided by the Air University First Sergeant Academy at Maxwell AFB, Alabama.