MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Master Sgt. Earl Dickerson II, 908th Logistics Readiness Squadron plans and integration superintendent, is on his second career… sort of.
Dickerson, an elementary school teacher of 13 years, joined the Air Force Reserve with the 908th Airlift Wing in 2009 after his son was born to support his growing family. Now he serves full-time as an Air Reserve Technician.
“I wanted to come and get some additional skills for when I eventually retired from teaching,” he said. “I would then have something to fall back on.”
Though he has spent his entire military career with the 908th, Dickerson hasn’t always served full-time. In 2012, after three years as a traditional reservist with the 908th Logistics Readiness Squadron, he accepted an ART position with them. In 2018 he was offered an Active Guard and Reserve tour with the 908th Force Support Squadron, a position he held until August 2023.
When the AGR tour ended, he resumed his ART position, serving as the focal point for getting Airmen equipped and transported to deployments and military exercises.
“I like to help out wherever and however I can,” he said. “At LRS, we’re the starting point to get Airmen out the door and to where they are going, along with everything they need to be successful.”
Dickerson credits any success he had to his junior enlisted days and the excellent leadership he served under. Specifically, he credits his former Chief Master Sgt., Connie Rollins, who previously held the position he currently occupies. He still corresponds with her from time to time, seeking advice when he’s faced with a new issue.
“Being in her position, I can see what she was going through,” he said. “But the decision making is on me now.”
Dickerson’s leadership philosophy is simple - if something doesn’t go well, he takes responsibility for it; if it is successful, he makes sure the team gets credit.
“It’s all about teamwork, because I can’t do it all myself,” he said. "So, I am thankful when Airmen are cooperative in what I ask of them.”
Dickerson is open to the options for his future but isn’t in any real hurry to retire from military service. He is keeping his teaching credentials current so he can return to teaching, though he hasn’t ruled out using the skills and leadership traits he’s developed in the Reserve to solve logistics issues for a civilian company.
Dickerson’s willingness and ability to adapt to different situations and excel make him an excellent multi-capable Airman and an asset to the 908th AW and the Air Force Reserve and is why he was named as the senior noncommissioned officer of the quarter for the fourth quarter of 2023.