Chief Grimm: For the Airmen Published Oct. 7, 2008 By Staff Sgt. Francis Lalic 21st Air Mobility Operations Squadron McGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. -- After 25 years of serving in the United States Air Force, Chief Master Sgt. Michael Grimm officially assumed responsibility as command chief of the 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force in late August. Hand-selected for the position by Brig. Gen. Timothy Zadalis, 21st EMTF commander, Chief Grimm has been busy getting to know hundreds of personnel and familiarizing himself with the entire task-force mission. "I am really happy to be at McGuire and looking forward to working with everyone," said Chief Grimm. This isn't the chief's first time with the 21st. In 2001, he was assigned to the former 21st Air Force Headquarters as an aeromedical evacuation technician evaluator. The 21st AF became the 21st EMTF in 2003, and in 2004, Chief Grimm moved to Pope AFB, N.C., where he was command chief for the 43rd Airlift Wing. Despite his move to Pope, Chief Grimm still couldn't get too far away from McGuire. "While at Pope, I continued to work with many members of the 21st EMTF, including a deployment to Haiti with their unit," said the chief. Pope is also where Chief Grimm met, and made a positive impression, on General Zadalis. "When General Zadalis arrived at McGuire, (former 21st EMTF command chief) Chief Master Sgt. David Williamson received an assignment to the 332nd Expeditionary Air Wing," said Chief Grimm. "(General Zadalis) then asked if I would come to work with him here." "When I found out that Chief Williamson was deploying and the 21 EMTF would need a new command chief, I began the search, but I didn't have to look far," General Zadalis said. "I had seen Chief Grimm in action at Pope--he's a leader with an expeditionary mindset. He knows how to motivate Airmen, and is a perfect fit for the EMTF." the general added. "(At Pope), we had a great time working with the Airmen," Chief Grimm said. "General Zadalis and I made it a point to get out with the Airmen two or three times a week. Every Monday we would do PT with the Airmen at the First-Term Airmen's Center. Our goal was to make sure every Airman had the opportunity for face-to-face contact with us." Chief Grimm's job as the new 21st EMTF command chief will keep his schedule occupied. On top of serving as the senior-enlisted advisor to the 21st EMTF commander, Chief Grimm is also responsible for all matters influencing the health, morale, welfare, training and effective utilization of more than 4,000 enlisted personnel assigned to more than 31 locations in 11 countries and eight states. According to Chief Grimm, of all of his assigned duties, the best part of being a command chief is meeting and working with the Airmen who get the mission done, and he offered these words of advice to them. "Take advantage of the opportunities that are in front of you. Get your education. Continue to develop yourselves as Airmen, not just in your career field. Look at your duty section, the Air Force and the community, and try to make them better than when you got there." In the end, Chief Grimm hopes that his mentorship will be the difference for his Airmen. During his earlier years in the Air Force, the chief only planned to finish four years and then shift over to other endeavors. "I ended up getting a few assignments that I liked and stuck around a little longer," Chief Grimm said. "I never really thought I would progress beyond master sergeant because after I crossed the 10-year mark, I was going to do 20 years and retire," the chief added. "When I made master sergeant, I had several good mentors who pushed me to look into other things. When I made chief, I had several more mentors who again guided me. You can never underestimate the impact of good mentors."