Enlisted Heritage Hall dedicates walkway to enlisted Air Force Cross recipients Published Nov. 25, 2009 By Carl Bergquist Air University Public Affairs MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- The walkway that leads to Gunter's Enlisted Heritage Hall outdoor exhibits was dedicated Thursday to enlisted members who received the Air Force Cross. Col. Charles Johnson, commander of the Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education, participated in the ceremony, and said he was pleased with the result. "This represents another great milestone for a very superior organization that represents enlisted history," he said. Tech. Sgt. Sharee Hileman, NCO in charge for the Enlisted Heritage Research Institute, was manager for the project, which involved moving the museum's Air Force Cross memorial pedestals from their location outside the front entrance of EHRI to alongside the walkway. "We at EHRI are hoping this will attract more attention to the outside exhibits," she said. Invited to attend the event was retired Capt. Bill Robinson, a Vietnam prisoner of war who received the Air Force Cross for his dedication to duty during his nearly eight years of captivity. He was one of the first enlisted Air Force members to receive the medal and one of only three enlisted POWs to be commissioned as a second lieutenant by fellow prisoners while confined in a Vietnamese POW camp. He said it is always humbling to be recognized for your accomplishments because at the time, you think you are just doing your job, but then someone else evaluates your performance and finds it special. "This is not just my honor, but the honor of all those who have contributed to enlisted Air Force history," he said of his pedestal, which is the first monument on the right side of the walkway. "In Vietnam, we weren't seeking awards, just doing what we thought was right. But then, I have always said there is a fine line between bravery and stupidity." Captain Robinson, who travels from his home in Madisonville, Tenn., to speak to almost every Senior NCO Academy class, said it is an honor for him to be included in enlisted Air Force heritage and in the great work the Barnes Center and EHH does. "It has been my experience with EHRI that every staff member understands the importance of the work they are doing and believes in what they are doing," he said. "Ever since 1988, when then EHRI director [Chief Master Sgt.] Wayne Fisk asked me to donate my Air Force Cross to EHH, it has been my great pleasure to see the museum grow from what was essentially a one-room shack to what it is today: a vision of the past and present that will allow future enlisted members to know the true story of their heritage." Chief Master Sgt. Rick Fanning, EHRI director, said each director and staff that comes to EHRI tries to continue the projects the last staff was working on, and moving the pedestals to their new position was an extension of the original walkway project. "We [current EHRI staff] think the new setup is much better," he said. "And it is an honor for us to honor Air Force Cross recipients and Captain Bill Robinson." Jeb Wainwright, 42nd Mission Support Group Gunter grounds maintenance, said putting in the walkway took about three weeks. He and his team first dug out and leveled the area along the walkway for the pedestal, then built a curb to contain the white rocks placed around the monuments. "The hardest part for us was digging out the area and making it level," he said. "The Gunter Commissary used to be on this land, so the ground is extremely hard. We had to take pickaxes to that hard ground to break it up." Captain Robinson said all that EHH has become is part of a dream to make sure the past is preserved for future generations of Airmen. "We are a country that presents the truth, and then we let people deal with it," he said. "What goes on at EHH is a never-ending process to make the museum and enlisted heritage live forever."