Chief Master Sergeant Rayford “Alex” Robinson brought five (5) members of the Georgia Air National Guard to Central High School, and invested time with over 130 JROTC Cadets.
Chief Master Sergeant Robinson is originally from Bowdon and still calls West Georgia home. After several years on Active Duty in the USAF, he transitioned to the Georgia Air National Guard (GA ANG) and has served our community, State, and Nation for the past 41 years. At times it is difficult for most civilians to appreciate the scope of Chief Robinson’s accomplishments. For example, to be promoted to the rank of Chief Master Sergeant in the USAF as a whole means that each Chief is in the Top 2 percent of the entire Enlisted Force! That in itself is a phenomenal accomplishment, but Chief Robinson was selected to serve as the Command Chief (the Top Chief) in the 116th Air Control Wing at Robins Air Force Base, Warner Robins Georgia.
Chief Robinson was accompanied by Chief Master Sergeant Obadiah Herndon, who serves as the Operations Flight Chief for the 283d Combat Communications Squadron at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Marietta, Georgia, Master Sergeant Taurence Campbell, who serves as the Material Management Non commissioned Officer In Charge in the 283d Combat Communications Squadron, and Airman Sean Jackson who serves as a Client Systems Apprentice in the 283d as well. Staff Sergeant Jessi Weatherspoon is an Avionics Test Station Technician with the 116th Maintenance Squadron, Robins Air Reserve Base, and Staff Sergeant Marcus Miller, Georgia Air National Guard Recruiter who’s based in Marietta rounded out Chief Robinson’s team.
The group of six (6) dynamic Georgia Air National Guard members informed the JROTC cadets about the differences and similarities of the ANG and Active Duty Airmen. Members of the team are full time members of the ANG, while half the team are traditional, or part-time, ANG members. For example, Staff Sergeant Jessi Weatherspoon is a part-time ANG member who is also a wife and mother, who owns a business in Bowdon with her husband. Similarly, Chief Master Sergeant Herndon is a part-time ANG member who works full time in the Cyber Security field with the Lumens Company, and Airman Jackson is a full-time student at Kennesaw State University.
Chief Robinson and his team talked with the cadets about the differences between the Federal and the State missions of the GA ANG, along with the benefits and challenges of both full time and part time ANG opportunities. Members of the team shared stories about various locations around the world where they’ve deployed to carry out missions supporting their Federal responsibilities, as well as stories about helping local communities across Georgia during times of natural disasters as directed by the Governor of Georgia. It was clear that Chief Robinson and his team are brave Americans and proud Georgia citizens who have chosen to Serve in the Georgia Air National Guard. The cadets were impressed, inspired, and wowed by the team!
