04/15/2026
At our most recent meeting-11-Apr-26-our chapter leader MSgt (Ret) Terry Ferguson came up with a new initiative for our members to share our histories and stories of our Air Force Security Forces careers: places we've been and things we've done. He asked me to start us off and the narrative below is my attempt to do just that:
MY AIR FORCE SECURITY POLICE CAREER WRITE UP FOR FACEBOOK ACCT-AFSFA
My name is MSgt (Ret) Charles W Huffman and I am a proud member of the local Ark-La-Tex Chapter of the Air Force Security Forces Association (AFSFA); and we hold our monthly meetings on the second Saturday of every month adjacent to the Supply section of the BAFB-Security Forces Squadron Facility. I currently hold the office of Sergeant at Arms in our chapter: I open up our meetings with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and close out our meetings with a prayer; among other duties associated with my office. We, the individual members have been asked to write up a short synopsis of our illustrious Air Force Security Forces careers. Here’s mine and I’ll try to be brief (not one of my strong points-LoL). I am originally from the great state of New Jersey where I enlisted into the US-Air Force on 17-May-1978 at the MEPS station in Newark, NJ. I, along with a cadre of other Jersey boys flew from Newark to San Antonio, TX, by way of Dallas, TX that day and onto Lackland AFB to in-process and learned the true meaning of the word “Hell Night!” (LoL) I had cuss words hurled at me that I didn’t even know existed! In any event, I graduated basic training and went to the other side of the base to enjoy 5-weeks of Security Police Tech School and then 4-weeks of ABGD-training at Camp (anything goes) Bullis-way too much fun! Graduated from there and signed into my first base, Pease AFB, NH (SAC) (509th SPS) right after Labor Day of that same year. My then wife, Barbara (RIP) and I had to live off base per my low rank at the time and in March of 1979-I got promoted-Below the Zone-to the rank of (E-4) Senior Airman; then almost immediately afterward, received orders to PCS to Aviano Air Base, Italy. We had a rough start there, but it turned out to be the most special assignment of my entire career and thank God for it! We enjoyed that assignment from 1980-Dec-05 to 1983-Dec-05. I got a chance to train on the BISS-equipment and work the tower after being promoted to Staff Sergeant in July of 1981. In 1983 when it was almost time to go, I got a line number for Tech Sergeant and couldn’t work the tower anymore-that really hurt me…loved that post! That three years flew by super fast and my next duty station turned out to be good old Loring AFB, ME and we checked into there on 05-Jan-1984 and the ground temperature that day of 45-degrees below zero-with the wind chill factor-what a shock to the nervous system that was (LoL). We spent 5-years getting used to it and I had plenty of time to study for Master Sergeant and made it on the first try-who knew?! In November of 1988, we had to leave there due to base closer and I signed into my next duty station in good old sunny California at Castle AFB (January 1989) where I remained until it closed down in 1995; at which time I rotated to good old sunny Barksdale AFB in July of 1995. While stationed at Barksdale, I met my second wife-Gloria and of course, caught PCS orders to Kunsan AB, ROK where I did my remote from 1997-Dec-08 to 1998-Dec-08; once again-a bit of a rough start, but once I got used to it-not so bad. Once done there-I returned to Shreveport, picked up Gloria and traveled to my next and final assignment in the USAF-Maxwell AFB, AL (the 509th Security Forces Squadron). We got married on 11-Jan-99 and we lived off base for that whole year until my 27-Dec-99 official retirement ceremony; and a day or so later, we loaded up our vehicles and headed back to good old sunny Shreveport, LA to settle down for good. We ushered in the new millennium (January 2000) at home watching Kid Rock and his bunch on Dick Clark’s Rocken-Eve; and guess what…the lights didn’t go out-as expected (LoL)! My retirement became effective as of 2000-Feb-01 and I joined the local chapter of the AFSFA in 2017 and have been loving it ever since! You see, I told you being brief was not one of my strong points!!
