6/7/17 Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser
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| Colonel Kirsten M. Palmer March 31, 2017 USAF promotion and reaffirmation of oath |
Congratulations are in order for newly appointed USAF
Colonel Kirsten M. Palmer. A promotion ceremony and reception for her pinning was
held on March 31, 2017, in the Airmen’s Hall of the Pentagon in Washington D.C.
It promoted Kirsten from a Lieutenant Colonel to a full Colonel. Among the 80
guests attending the ceremony were her husband Col. Roger Lang, daughter
Addyson and other family, including her parents, Ron and Linda Palmer, of
Cottage Grove.
In her remarks after the pinning of the new insignia she
said, “When I graduated from Cottage Grove High School, Oregon, and headed to
the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, I never dreamed my life and career
would turn out this well.” With graduations coming up this month, it seems only
fitting to post Kirsten’s most recent promotion as motivation for today’s
graduates to dream big!
Longtime Grover’s and readers of this column will remember
that Kirsten was always ambitious and patriotic. During high school, she was
student body president, a scholar and an athlete. She served as a U.S. Senate
Page for Senator Bob Packwood. Upon graduation, she enlisted in the U.S. Air
Force and was accepted by the Air Force Academy in Colorado. She received her
commission from the Academy in May 1995. Later she would earn a Master’s of
Science degree in Resource Strategy.
Climbing the ladder in any profession is arduous. We all
begin at the bottom and work our way to the top. I have watched with awe as
Kirsten climbed the military ladder upon her graduation from the Academy.
Her resume includes stations in five Major Commands
(MAJCOMs) filling a variety of flight line and back shop positions. Her weapon
system experience includes C-130s, A-10s, C-9s, C-17s and KC-135Rs.
Currently, she is a student at the prestigious Eisenhower
School for National Security & Resource Strategy, Ft. Leslie McNair,
Washington, D.C. The school is focused on developing strategic thinkers to
operate in executive environments developing national security strategy and
policy with an emphasis on evaluation and managing national resources.
If all that is as Greek to you as it was to me, it became most
impressive after I looked up the responsibilities of a Colonel at military-ranks.org.
A full Colonel is just above Lt. Col. and below Brig. General. It is the
highest Field Officer rank. A Colonel is typically responsible for commanding a
wing (unit) of 1,000 to 3,000 airmen of lower ranks. The rank insignia for
Colonel is a silver eagle. They are sometimes informally referred to as
“Full-Bird Colonels” to differentiate between them and Lt Colonels. It is the
22nd rank in the USAF. Go, Colonel Palmer!
If you’re a young person considering serving your country in
a military career here’s a few stats about the Air Force. Their website says
that they have a total of 315,725 active duty personnel. After basic military
training —Start strong. Finish stronger—the work includes blue collar jobs,
clerical, technical, administrative and professional areas. Becoming a pilot
requires a time commitment, a bachelor’s degree, meeting officer
qualifications, flight school and more. The average length of service is 14.5
years.
Is it worth it? The last time I spoke with Kirsten she said,
“My plan was to stay in the Air Force as long as I was having fun. Twenty-five
years later I’m still having fun! The opportunities provided by joining the
military are endless and the education benefits are incredible in exchange for
serving my country.”
One of the Air Force mottos is to Aim High. That’s good
advice for all of today’s graduates whatever you choose to do in life. Congratulations to all!
