CSAF makes announcement to Airmen Published Nov. 8, 2012 By Gen. Mark A. Welsh III Air Force Chief of Staff WASHINGTON -- To the Airmen of the United States Air Force After over 30 years of service to our great nation, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James A. Roy has announced he will retire at the end of January. During their tenure, CMSAF Roy and his wife Ms. Paula teamed to tackle our biggest challenges and cheered our greatest accomplishments. We owe them a huge thank you. I hope you will join Betty and me in wishing them "blue skies" as they begin the next chapter in their lives. Being CMSAF is a big deal, and finding the right Airmen to be our next one was a little bit intimidating. It's also the most important decision I'll make as your Chief of Staff...and probably the hardest. I reached out to our former CMSAFs for guidance and took nominations from senior leaders throughout the Total Force. I reviewed the records of the best and brightest CMSgt's in our Air Force and personally interviewed five of them here in the Pentagon. I'm very comfortable that I've made the right choice. I'm pleased to announce CMSgt James A. Cody as our Service's 17th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, effective 1 Feb 2013. CMSgt Cody and his wife Athena, a retired CMSgt herself, have a very unique understanding of the Air Force family and they share a passion for Airmen--their son also happens to be one. If you know Chief Cody, you'll be excited about this selection. If you don't know him, you'll get excited as soon as you do meet him. He's smart, talented, engaged and driven to make our Air Force a better place to live and work...and I'll be proud to have him as my partner in this job. Please join Betty and me in welcoming CMSgt Cody and Athena to their new roles. They're eager to represent you and to better understand those things you care most about. I look forward to introducing them to you in just a couple of months. You're gonna love 'em!