Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Gary R. Pfingston was the tenth Chief Master Sergeant appointed to the highest Non-commissioned officer position in the United States Air Force. Chief Pfingston was born in Evansville, Indiana on January 2, 1940. In California, he graduated from Torrance High School in 1958 and attended El Camino College from 1958 through 1961. He entered the Air Force in February 1962. Chief Pfingston spent his early years as a B-52 Crew Chief at Castle AFB, California from 1962 to 1968 and then worked on B-52s and KC-135s at Plattsburgh AFB, N.Y. from 1968 to 1972. After serving in Thailand at U-Tapao Royal Thai Air Base for a year between 1972 and 1973, he became a military Training Instructor at Lackland AFB in 1973. In 1979 he became Commandant of the Military Tr