Sam Parish
| Sam E. Parish | |
|---|---|
|
8th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (1983-1986) | |
| Born |
October 2, 1937 Marianna, Florida |
| Allegiance |
 United States |
| Service/branch |
 United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1955 - 1986 (30 years) |
| Rank | |
| Awards | See below |
Sam E. Parish (born October 2, 1937) was the eighth Chief Master Sergeant appointed to the highest Non-commissioned officer position in the United States Air Force.
Military career
Chief Parish was born in Marianna, Florida, and attended Malone High School. He joined the US Air Force in December 1954. Following basic military training, he was assigned to Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois, for training as a ground weather equipment operator where earned distinction as an honor graduate. His early assignments include Germany, Massachusetts, and Illinois. In March 1973, Chief Parish graduated from the first class of the Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy at Gunter Air Force Station, Alabama. One of his classmates was James M. McCoy, who in August 1979 would be appointed as one of Chief Parish's predecessors, the sixth Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force. In August 1976, he began his third tour of duty in West Germany as Sergeant Major for the 36th Combat Support Group consolidated base personnel office at Bitburg Air Base, Germany. His career includes tours as Senior Enlisted Advisor for 40th Air Division, US Air Forces in Europe, and Strategic Air Command.
CMSAF Parish served as the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force from August 1983 to June 1986.
To this day, CMSAF continues to travel around the world as well as speaking for ALS (Airman Leadership School for up-and-coming Staff Sergeants) around the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area.
Awards and decorations
| Personal decorations | |
 |
Air Force Distinguished Service Medal |
 |
Legion of Merit |
|
Meritorious Service Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters |
|
Air Force Commendation Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster |
| Unit awards | |
 
|
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor device and silver oak leaf cluster |
| Service awards | |
|
Air Force Good Conduct Medal with silver and three bronze oak leaf clusters |
 |
Army Good Conduct Medal |
| Campaign and service medals | |
 |
National Defense Service Medal |
| Service, training, and marksmanship awards | |
|
Air Force Longevity Service Award with silver and bronze oak leaf clusters |
|
NCO Professional Military Education Graduate Ribbon with two bronze oak leaf clusters |
 |
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon |
 |
Air Force Training Ribbon |
Professional memberships and associations
- Life member, Air Force Association
- Air Force Sergeants Association
- Retired Enlisted Association
- Director, Airmen Memorial Museum
- Army and Air Force Mutual Aid Association
- Air University Board of Visitors
Effective dates of promotion
| Rank | Date |
|---|---|
 Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force | August 1, 1983 |
Succession
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Arthur L. Andrews |
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force 1983–1986 |
Succeeded by James C. Binnicker |
References
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sam Parish. |
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Air Force document "Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Sam E. Parish biography".
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
