Sixth Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force visits Hawaii ROTC detachment Published March 4, 2011 By Cadet Tony Huang ROTC Det. 175 Honolulu, Hawaii- -- Cadets from Air Force ROTC Detachment 175 hosted the sixth Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James M. McCoy at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Feb. 17. Chief McCoy served over 50 years of combined service to the Air Force as an Airman and civilian. The day looked like any other ROTC Leadership Laboratory with a three hour block of Air Force leadership instruction. However, when word spread of a special guest speaker and the title he once held, his visit caught many cadets off guard. "Are you sure it's chief master sgt. of the Air Force?" asked one cadet. "Wow, that's crazy," another replied. Chief McCoy received by cadets Rodney Padilla, Mellissa Kelly, Gabrielle Eskew and Tony Huang. Shortly after conversing with the Lt. Col. Joe White, Detachment 175 commander, and the rest of the cadre, Chief McCoy had his picture taken along with Bravo Flight, the honor and warrior flight at the time. This would be the first time many of the cadre and cadets had ever seen or met a chief master sgt. of the Air Force. Cadet Holly Hewitt later said "It was a very humbling experience; I learned to latch on to a good senior noncommissioned officer and learn from him/her, to avoid tunnel vision and have an open minded approach to the Air Force." Another cadet, Otto Teson, added "It was a real honor to listen to Chief McCoy; [Learn] to value advice from people with experience." Throughout the entire morning, the cadets listened to the chief's vast number of life experiences accumulated over a long and distinguished career. Cadet Jodie Hasebe later commented "I enjoyed that he came over because he was so knowledgeable, met so many people and had so many experiences," said Cadet Jodie Hasebe. "I liked hearing his stories. Even though times have changed, I still learned so much from them."