James A. Cody (born June 19, 1965) is a retired airman of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

who served as the 17th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force from 24 January 2013 until his retirement on February 17, 2017. He served as the personal adviser to the

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

and the Secretary of the Air Force on all issues regarding the welfare, readiness, morale, and proper utilization and advancement of the enlisted force.

Military career

Cody entered the

in November 1984. He graduated from the air traffic control specialist course at

Keesler Air Force Base Keesler Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Biloxi, a city along the Gulf Coast in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. The base is named in honor of aviator 2d Lt Samuel Reeves Keesler Jr., a Mississippi nati ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

in May 1985. His background includes various duties in air traffic control at the unit and major-command levels. Throughout his career, he has filled myriad roles including additional-duty first sergeant and Directorate Superintendent. His assignments include bases in

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, and

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. He also served overseas in Germany, South Korea, Turkey, and deployed in support of Operations

Southern Watch Operation Southern Watch was an air-centric military operation conducted by the United States Department of Defense from Summer 1992 to Spring 2003. United States Central Command's Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) had the mission of mon ...

and Enduring Freedom. Prior to assuming his last position, Cody served as the Command Chief Master Sergeant,

Air Education and Training Command Air Education and Training Command (AETC) is one of the nine Major Commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF), reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force. It was established 1 July 1993, with the realignment of Air Training ...

, Randolph Air Force Base,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Education

:1987 Noncommissioned Officer Preparatory School,

Kapaun Air Station Kaiserslautern Military Community is a community of Americans living in and around Kaiserslautern, Germany, supporting United States Armed Forces and NATO installations, such as the Ramstein Air Base, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Kapaun Air ...

, Germany :1989 Air Force Communications Command Noncommissioned Officer Leadership School, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi :1993 Noncommissioned Officer Academy Correspondence Course :1995 USAFE Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Kapaun Air Station, Germany :1997 Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy Correspondence Course :1998

Associate degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

airway science,

Community College of the Air Force The Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) is a federal program offered by the United States Air Force and United States Space Force which grants two-year Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees in association with Air University. CCAF se ...

:2001 Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy,

Maxwell Air Force Base Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. O ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

:2005 Chief's Leadership Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama :2005 United States Air Force Senior Leadership Course, Center for Creative Leadership,

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

, California :2006 Gettysburg Leadership Experience, Gettysburg,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

:2008 Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education Correspondence Course :2008 AFSO 21 Executive Leadership Course,

Disney Institute Disney Institute is the professional development and external training arm of The Walt Disney Company. The company showcases 'the business behind the magic' through seminars, workshops and presentations, as well as programs for professionals fro ...

, Orlando, Florida :2009 Keystone, National Defense University,

Fort Lesley J. McNair Fort Lesley J. McNair is a United States Army post located on the tip of Greenleaf Point, the peninsula that lies at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. To the peninsula's west is the Washington Cha ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

:2010 COMAFFOR Senior Staff Course,

United States Air Force Expeditionary Center The United States Air Force Expeditionary Center is the Air Force's Center of Excellence for advanced expeditionary combat support training and education. It consists of nine units with approximately 14,000 Airmen in 28 countries. History The U ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

:2010 United States Air Force Enterprise Management Seminar,

Darden School of Business The Darden School of Business is the graduate business school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Darden School offers MBA, PhD, and Executive Education programs. The school was founded ...

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

:2012

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in

business administration Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...

Trident University International Trident University International is a private for-profit online university based in Cypress, California. It is a member of the American InterContinental University System, and regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Trident off ...

Cypress Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs of northern temperate regions that belong to the family Cupressaceae. The word ''cypress'' is derived from Old French ''cipres'', which was imported from Latin ''cypressus'', the ...

, California

Assignments

# November 1984 – January 1985, Student, Basic Military Training, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas # January 1985 – June 1985, Student, Technical Training School,

, Mississippi # June 1985 – June 1988, Air Traffic Controller, 1964th CG,

Ramstein Air Base Ramstein Air Base or Ramstein AB is a United States Air Force base in Rhineland-Palatinate, a state in southwestern Germany. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA) and also ...

, Germany # June 1988 – January 1991, ATC Watch Supervisor, 1916th CS,

Pease Air Force Base Pease, in Middle English, was a noun referring to the vegetable pea; see that article for its etymology. The word survives into modern English in pease pudding. Pease may also refer to: People * Pease family (Darlington), a prominent family in D ...

, New Hampshire # January 1991 – May 1993, ATC Watch Supervisor, 30th OSS, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California # May 1993 – May 1994, ATC Watch Supervisor, 51st OSS, Osan Air Base, South Korea # June 1994 – June 1996, Superintendent, Airfield Operations Training, 39th OSS, Incirlik Air Base, Turkey # June 1996 – March 2000, Superintendent, Airfield Operations, Readiness/Training, Headquarters

Air Combat Command Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the primary provider of air combat forces for the Air Force, and i ...

Langley Air Force Base Langley Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Hampton, Virginia, adjacent to Newport News, Virginia, Newport News. It was one of List of airfields of the Training Section of the United States Army Air Service, thirty-two ...

, Virginia # March 2000 – May 2003, Chief Controller, Tower, 1st Sergeant, 6th OSS, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida (April 2002 – Jul 2002, Superintendent, Combat Airspace Management Cell, Joint Task Force-Southwest Asia, Prince Sultan Air Base,

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...

) # June 2003 – July 2005, Superintendent, Directorate of Air and Space Operations and ATC Functional Manager, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia # July 2005 – August 2007, Command Chief,

15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Force ...

, Travis Air Force Base, California # Aug 2007 – July 2008, Command Chief,

6th Air Mobility Wing The United States Air Force's 6th Air Refueling Wing is the host wing for MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. It is part of Air Mobility Command's (AMC) Eighteenth Air Force. The wing's 6th Operations Group is a successor organization of the 3d Ob ...

, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida # July 2008 – Sep 2010, Command Chief,

18th Air Force Eighteenth Air Force (Air Forces Transportation) (18 AF) is the only Numbered Air Force (NAF) in Air Mobility Command (AMC) and one of the largest NAFs in the United States Air Force. 18 AF was activated on 28 March 1951, inactivated on 1 Janu ...

, Scott Air Force Base,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

# Sep 2010 – January 2013, Command Chief,

, Joint Base San Antonio/Randolph Air Force Base, Texas # January 2013 – February 2017, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C.

Awards and decorations

Other achievements

:1994 PACAF ORI Outstanding Performer :1994

39th Air Base Wing The 39th Air Base Wing (39 ABW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Third Air Force. It is stationed at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. The wing is also the host unit at Incirlik. The mission of the 39 ABW is to support and protect N ...

NCO of the Year :1995 John L. Levitow Award, NCO Academy :1995 USAFE ATC Training Achievement Award :1995 STEP promotion to Master Sergeant :1997 ACC Director of Air and Space Operations SNCO of the Year :2001 Distinguished Graduate, SNCO Academy :2001 AMC Air Traffic Control Enlisted Manager of the Year :2001 Tampa Bay Military Citizen of the Year :2001 Air Mobility Command SNCO of the Year

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cody, James A. 1965 births Chief Master Sergeants of the United States Air Force Living people Recipients of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit