MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- During the 2017 Senior Enlisted Leadership Summit, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Kaleth O. Wright recognized Senior MSgt. Duane Caudill as the Community College of the Air Force’s 500,000th degree recipient.
Caudill is an Air Force reservist with the 302nd Maintenance Group at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., as a career advisor.
Last year, Caudill dedicated himself to completing his associate degree. He was able to complete his remaining requirements in about six months, all while he was working as a parole officer for the state of Colorado.
“I would start work from 7 in the morning until 5:30 in the afternoon,” Caudill said. “I would make dinner for me and my wife then sit down in front of the computer at 6:30 to about midnight or 1 in the morning just doing my classwork.”
All his hard work paid off and he made history all while doing it.
“This is extremely monumental just taking into account that we are the largest community college in the world,” said Chief Master Sgt. Rye Bavin, CCAF Vice Commandant. “Since opening our doors in 1972, we are so proud to say that we have helped so many Airmen achieve their educational goals.”
Caudill just happened to be that 500,000th CCAF degree recipient.
“In all honesty this just boggles my mind,” Caudill said.
Wright also commented on this historical occasion.
“It is great to be able to recognize such a milestone for both the CCAF and Senior Master Sgt. Caudill,” Wright said. “The fact that his graduation coincided with the 2017 Senior Enlisted Leader Summit was perfect, because we were able to recognize this milestone in front of almost 350 of our total force senior enlisted leaders.”
The CCAF provides Airmen an opportunity to be better at their jobs within the Air Force, and to make them more competitive once they leave the military service.
“The CCAF is designed to be able to translate what these Airmen learned in the Air Force into the civilian workforce,” Bavin said. “Polls show that when Airmen join the Air Force, a common driving motivator is they wanted to pursue education. CCAF delivers an avenue for this pursuit.”
The 500,000th degree recipient added some words of wisdom for those who may not have or are in the process of getting a degree through the CCAF.
“If you keep putting off getting your degree, you’re not going to get it,” Caudill said. “It’s something you have to be motivated to do, and self-disciplined, because there’s excuses for everything, but you just need to work at it, and buckle down and do it. Once you get it done, it’s a huge accomplishment.”