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Chief Grimm says farewell to Pope

  • Published
  • By Emily Smith
  • 43rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  Chief Master Sgt. Michael Grimm served Pope well. After 25 years in the Air Force and two tours at Pope, Chief Grimm will assume his new post at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J. to continue his illustrious career. 

Chief Grimm was born in the small town of Mora, Minn., but moved to Moreno Valley, Calif., with his family when he was 11. He said he was destined to be in the military. His father served in the Air Force from 1953-1957, along with two of his uncles. A third uncle was in the Marine Corps. On his mother's side, he had three uncles in three different military branches. Two years before he joined, his sister joined the Air Force. Needless to say, being in the military is in Chief Grimm's blood, and he has made the most of his career. 

Starting out at March AFB, Calif., in 1983, Chief Grimm worked in the emergency room as an emergency room technician. Two years later, Chief Grimm came to Pope for the first time. He was assigned to the 1st Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron as an aeromedical evacuation technician. From there he went back to California and then to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, from Texas back to Turkey, to Nevada, Korea and back again. Besides a three-year assignment at Lackland AFB working as a military training instructor, Chief Grimm has been a medic his entire career, moving 10 times within 21 years in the Air Force. 

It's been nonstop. "Being a leader at Pope, you become very good at juggling," Chief Grimm said in an interview Aug 15. "It's hard to believe that four years [here at Pope] has gone by so fast. In the beginning, I was going to do what my father did. I was going to do four years and then get out and go to college. Twenty-five years if you would have told me I'd still be here, I would have been surprised. 

"It's been fun. I've never looked at the Air Force as being a job. I've had to work, and I've had to work hard. There have been challenges but overall I've had a truly wonderful time."
One of Chief Grimm's main focuses during his tenure at Pope has been building up junior Airmen. "Retired Chief Carl Brown, who mentored me when I was a master sergeant in 1998, sat me and five other master sergeants down and taught us how to be senior non-commissioned officers," Chief Grimm said. "He said you're more than just a medic. You're a United States Air Force Airman first, a Senior NCO second and then a medic. 

"I believe in fulfilling the mission, always keeping our airmen focused. At any given time, they could make up 30 to 40 percent of our active duty Airmen. If you're not taking care of the Airmen below you, you're not doing your job. We're growing our next generation," Chief Grimm said. 

When asked of his favorite memory of his time here at Pope, Chief Grimm recalls Hurricane Katrina relief. "We were notified at 3 p.m. on that afternoon that we were deploying to New Orleans the next day. Fifty people were on a plane the next morning," Chief Grimm explained. "Half of our squadron was deployed and the other half was getting ready to swap out. I was getting ready to deploy myself so I couldn't go. We actually had to send an Airman that had in-processed to the squadron only 48-hours earlier. It was worth it to see Pope Airmen on CNN helping evacuate Katrina victims from Louis Armstrong Airport. It wasn't just Airmen from 43rd. It was a total Air Mobility Command effort to move everyone. The mission was fulfilled right there in front of you, and that is definitely my favorite memory of my time here at Pope." 

Chief Grimm will soon move onto the 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force at McGuire. "It's still an AMC mission," Chief Grimm said. "I'm really looking forward to it." 

He leaves Pope knowing that he will always have a family here. "Don't walk away from an opportunity," Chief Grimm advises. "Stay focused on the mission and look out for your fellow Wingman. Enjoy your time here in the Air Force because whether you're in for four or 25 or 30 years, you'll want to look back at your career and say, 'That was a good experience.'