LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
Thirty five years after retiring from the Air Force, Documented Original Tuskegee Airman Chief Master Sgt. (ret.) Grant S. Williams, Sr. took his place in the Langley Chief's Room in the Bayside Enlisted Club in a ceremony Sept. 9.
The Langley Chief's Group teamed with the Tidewater Chapter Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. to honor the accomplished chief, who currently resides in Hampton, Va. after retiring at Langley in June 1975.
Following opening remarks from Chief Master Sgt. Maurice James, Chief Master Sgt. Vernitia Johnson accompanied Williams, clad in the chapter's red trademark blazer, to the front of the room where she unveiled the official portrait to be displayed permanently in the room.
Williams remarked to the crowd of fellow DOTAs, Langley leadership and chief master sergeants that he "never imagined" standing before them receiving the honor bestowed upon him.
"I consider this one of the greatest honors I could have hoped for," he said. Williams is only the Chief's Room's second inductee, behind retired Chief Master Sgt. Bill Christie, that did not serve as Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force.
Williams went on to chronicle the triumphs of the Tuskegee Airmen, which included not only their outstanding performance in World War II, but breaking down racial barriers in the military and paving the way for the American civil rights movement.
Williams attributed his success to his two most influential people: his father, and the late Gen. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., the commander of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II.
"My father told me to be careful of the company you keep, because a man is known by the company he keeps," he said, looking out among his colleagues. "I think I've surrounded myself with a pretty good group of people that did a wonderful job."
Williams' military career began in February 1942 at Fort Dix, N.J. Following training at Tuskegee Army Air Field and a variety of roles with the 96th Air Service Group, Williams received orders to Italy, where he served as the group's sergeant major until his return to the U.S. in 1945. Williams received the Bronze Star medal for his participation in military operations in Italy. After an honorable discharge and enlistment into the reserve forces, Williams was recalled to active duty in August 1950 and served in administrative positions at various stateside installations and overseas assignments in Japan, Turkey and Vietnam before retiring in 1975 at Langley.
The chief's awards and decorations include two Bronze Star Medals, an Air Force Commendation Medal and the Congressional Gold Medal, presented by then-President George W. Bush in 2007.
Williams remains active in the Air Force community, making frequent public speaking appearances nationwide and fundraising for scholarships for high school students pursuing degrees in science and aviation.