Like so many Chief Master Sergeants, Heather Malensek said there were doubts about reaching this level, “I thought when I first started out that I would be a Chief someday, and then not. But when I reached Senior Master Sergeant, well it meant that I was the senior enlisted leader for the squadron. Working for Chief meant a commitment to the Air Force, but it also meant that the Air Force wanted to keep me.”

So SMSgt Heather Malensek joined the Air Force team “because I knew they (the Air Force) would pay for my college. I guess I was always thinking that I wanted to stay, and I wanted to be good at my job”, but what Malensek did not anticipate was how that decision dramatically changed her life. “When you first join, it’s all about you. But now it’s about everybody else. The word Sergeant means service leader. Now it’s all about who you are taking care of.”

For Malensek serving her country is a privilege, “You know, it’s not a right. Wanting to stay (in the Air Force) is something inside of you. You have to be committed to serving. I share with people that you really don’t want everything done for you. Commitment is what it’s all about. You make a decision to commit to the Air Force for all of your adult life, and there is nothing wrong with that.”

For a Chief Master Sergeant it’s important to be a good leader for the younger Airmen who are trying to determine what is next for them “In any given month I will work with 2-3 Airmen. Together we determine what is next for them” say Malensek. “We may end up re-navigating their career. More people get out at 10-15 years. Maybe it would be a better decision for them to get out at 20. It’s something that they need to talk about.”

CMSgt. Malensek considers herself a very goal driven person. “I know already that I will have to leave Minot in order to move up and lead a larger squadron” says Malensek. But her career field could also lead her to the Pentagon.

When she talks about people who influenced her along the way, CMSgt Malensek quickly points out SMSgt Rob Hart because “he truly invested in me. He explained to me why I was important. He sat down and went over my performance.”

And then there was CMSgt Kaci Duhart “who told me what to focus on. Kaci made me go back to school to work towards my BA degree. He would tell me how awesome I was, and that I could do anything I wanted to do. He was a good leader because he would let me mess up, and then say; so, you messed this one up, let’s talk this through.”

So, what about failures along the way? “In 2013 I was in line to be a Tech Sergeant, but I failed a PT test. The PT failure lost me my stripe. But I didn’t give up. I refused to fail in fitness again. I had to own it and move forward. I got back into the testing cycle. I had to make Tech Sergeant twice. But I can show others how I failed and overcame my failures. It really makes me who I am and defines where I am today.”

The Malensek family is 100% military driven. “My husband is a MSgt in the LRS squadron. I have 2 very resilient military kids, Hailey who is 9 and Logan who is 8. We love to go hiking and camping and we enjoy meeting people. My hobbies are reading and re-investing time in the creative side of me.”

Retirement? “Well, we talk about it all the time, but honestly I am no-where ready. I figure me and the Air Force can be together for 9 more years.” Congratulations to CMSgt Heather Malensek.