George Moses

CMSgt. George Moses (Ret.) was called to duty for the last time on August 25, 2022, at 0700 hours. He passed peacefully in his sleep at his home in Antelope, CA. He was surrounded by the love of his family until the very end. The good Lord finally realized He was in need of a special kind of Chief Master Sergeant; no one in His current ranks stood out, so he was strategically advised to appoint a "Command Chief." A Command Chief, his trusted advisor said, "gets things done." The advisor stated he knew just the individual the Lord needed. "Father, his qualifications are impeccable and when he retired from the military he was the third highest ranking Chief Master Sergeant in the entire United States Air Force. This Chief also just had his customary military regulation haircut, which leads me to believe he already knows we selected him. The Chief is ready. And, here's the best part.......his name is "Moses.""

Chief Moses entered this world on March 4, 1931, to Saul and Esther (Benjamin) Moses, in New Britain, Connecticut. He was the middle child of three. George's father worked for The Stanley Works, which was founded by Frederick Trent Stanley in 1843, originally a bolt and door hardware manufacturing company located in New Britain, Connecticut. The company later became widely known as Stanley Tools. Chief Moses graduated from New Britain Senior High School, where he excelled in basketball and baseball. His love for the former influenced him to intentionally fail his senior year so that he could continue his athletic endeavors. When his father caught wind of his misguided intentions, he suggested the military might be the best thing to whip young George into shape, mentally and physically.

Chief Moses enlisted in the United States Air Force on September 19, 1950. During his initial enlistment, he attained the rank of Technical Sergeant. He was discharged on September 18, 1954. Realizing that life in the military might not actually be that bad compared to civilian life, George re-enlisted in the Air Force on December 16, 1954. He remained on active duty until his retirement on January 1, 1985. Altogether, Chief Moses spent over 34 years in the United States Air Force. It was no secret that after he left the military, the military never left him. George first attained the rank of Chief Master Sergeant, the highest rank for United States enlisted personnel, on April 1, 1967. As previously, mentioned, he was the third highest ranking CMSgt. in the Air Force when he retired from military duty. His time-in-grade as a Chief was over 17 years, which is remarkable. Chief Moses nearly climbed to the top of the mountain in 1979, when he was selected by the Military Airlift Command (MAC), to apply for the position of Chief Master Sergeant of the entire United States Air Force. Although he did not get the job, he was extremely humbled and honored just to be selected as a candidate. The Chief's awards, accomplishments and commendations are actually too long to list, but some will be mentioned to honor his outstanding military career.

Soon after George re-enlisted in the Air Force, he met a shy and beautiful woman, Rose Marie Hackett, while on temporary duty in Presque Isle, Maine. Rose was from nearby Caribou. They fell in love and were married on February 26, 1955. Rose, who had never been anywhere outside of Maine, was now a true military wife. George's various military assignments took them all over the country, from Massachusetts to Hawaii, from California to Georgia. Along the way they had five children. Chief Moses served throughout the Air Force in various responsible and strategic positions. He also served tours overseas in military bases in Japan, Okinawa, Philippines, Guam, Thailand and Hawaii. His last six years in the Air Force were spent serving as Senior Enlisted Advisor for the 41st Air Rescue and Reconnaissance Wing (ARRW), at McClellan Air Force Base, CA and also for the Air Rescue and Recovery Service (ARRS), of the 23rd Air Force at Scott AFB, IL.

Following his retirement, Chief Moses, still not ready to completely relax, decided to take a crack at private sector employment. He held the position of Public Relations Director for Devon Home Center Stores, Inc., a large home furnishings and electronics company with headquarters in Pompano Beach, FL. Rose and the children had all settled in Northern California before the Chief's last tour of duty at Scott AFB, so the thought of George working across the country after being away from his family for most of his military career did not sit well with her. Needless to say, she pulled rank this time, and his long-distance job was no more. Rosie wanted him home.

Chief Moses worked locally as a sales representative for Metropolitan Life and retired from that position in April of 1994. In May of 1994, the Wing Commander at McClellan AFB selected George to be the Director of Retiree Activities, a volunteer position he held for nearly 27 years. Chief Moses had an inherent passion for serving military retirees and their families, which he did proudly and without fail. Chief Moses always said, "The pay was good!" His love of country and commitment to the military were legendary.

As though working in the private sector and volunteering for the VA weren't enough, Chief Moses found time to be an active and integral part of the McClellan Chief's Group, which he served as President, for eight years. The Chiefs' Group was involved in many community events and charities, and as a special act of patriotism, Chief Moses would loudly and proudly perform his rendition of the "Stars and Stripes", at many of these events. In fact, Chief Moses was requested numerous times to perform it at McClellan AFB retirement ceremonies and at Air Force Bases across the country. Chief Moses was in constant demand as a Guest Speaker at many military functions and events, most notably, the Airman Leadership School graduations at Beale and Travis AFBs. Chief Moses was a lifetime member and very active in the Air Force Sergeant's Association, the Non-commissioned Officers (NCO), Association, the Armed Forces Top Enlisted Association and VFW Post 4647. Chief Moses was so widely known throughout the Air Force that it was said if he ever asked you for a favor, you interpreted it as an order, and carried it out dutifully. The Chief commanded that level of respect. However, he used his rank and authority judiciously and was a very personable and approachable man. His military career and reputation were everything to him and would never do anything to tarnish it. Chief Moses was well known for mentoring young Airmen and loved nothing more than to see them succeed in the Air Force.

During his decorated and long military career, Chief Moses also earned a Bachelor's Degree from Chaminade College of Honolulu, HI, in June of 1972, with a major in Business and a minor in Psychology and Sociology. In December of 1973, Chief Moses earned his Master of Arts degree in Public Administration from Central Michigan University. One of the Chief's proudest moments happened when his grandson, Phillip Barmann, enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2013.

Some of the Chief's more notable achievements that deserve special recognition are: Outstanding Air Force Flight Test Center Airman of the Year 1969; in January 1975, along with three other CMSgts., Chief Moses constructed and developed E-8 and E-9 Supervisory examinations at USAF Occupational Test Measurement Center, Lackland Air Force Base, TX, which are presently in use for WAPS selection process for Chief Master Sergeants and Senior Master Sergeants; selected as the 1975 AFLC Outstanding Military Personnel Manager of the Year. Among the military decorations held by Chief Moses is the Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Air Force Commendation Medal with four oak leaf clusters and the Army Commendation Medal.

Chief Moses was also quite the physical specimen, continuing to run 5 to 10 miles a week into his late 70's, however, a series of medical issues began to take a toll on his body, but never his mind, which was always sharp. The Chief also had a relationship with The Lord, Our Father, and faithfully attended Faith Legacy Church in Sacramento, CA. His Christian faith was very important to him. Even at home the Chief had his own troops, with all five of his children settling close by and giving him many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, whom he never tired of "ordering" around. Most of all, Chief Moses loved Rose Moses. She was the quintessential military wife; always supporting him, but also never afraid to speak up when she felt necessary. Chief Moses may have served a finite amount of time in the Air Force, but in his heart, his enlistment was for life. Rosie, the Chief is home for good and now you can both rest in peace. Thank you, Chief Moses, for your service to this country. Your legacy will live on forever.

Chief Moses was blessed with a large and loving family. He was preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Rose Marie Moses and brother, Sam Moses. Chief Moses is survived by his sister, Margaret Capsalors (Ralph); his daughters Bonna Brown (Terry), Pamela Barmann (Paul), Georgia Ewing (Ken), Janet Moses, his son Saul Moses (Angela); granddaughters Jenna Clayton (William), Vanessa Ewing, Sarah Munekawa (Chris), Paige Birdmann (Shelby); grandsons Brian Brown, Phillip Barmann (Megan), Grant Ewing (Callie), Clark Ewing; great-grandsons Brixton, Maddox and Phoenix Munekawa, Preston and Harrison Clayton; nieces Carol Capsalors Baran and Lynn Capsalors; nephews Mark and David Moses. Chief Moses has his first great-granddaughter on the way, however, will not get to meet Mila Rose Barmann. Mila will grow up and learn a lot about her great-grandfather.

The family of Chief Moses would like to thank Christina Mayers, Tabitha Mendez, Jordan Weeks, Maggie Posada's Caregiving Agency and the VA Caregiving Agency for all their kind and compassionate care in his last year of life. A special thank you to Rosanna Jackson for the delicious meals she prepared in his last month.

The celebration of life for CMSgt. George Moses will include full military honors and will be held on Saturday, October 1, 1030 hours, at Faith Legacy Church, 3532 Whitney Ave, Sacramento, CA 95821. The Chief's family requests, in lieu of flowers, all donations be made to the military organization of their choice, in the name of CMSgt. George Moses (Ret.)