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From the inception of the then HQ Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) NCO PME Center, the goal of the school has been to ensure "precision leadership for the warrior Airman." The need for this institution was granted in 1983 by Gen. James V. Hartinger, AFSPC/CC, and in May 1984 Chief Master Sgt. Lincoln D. Jeffus became the first commandant of the AFSPC NCO Professional Military Education (PME) Center. With only two classrooms and a staff of five personnel, the first NCO Leadership School (NCOLS) graduated 31 students in April 1985. That year, eight classes were held, divided among the NCO Preparatory Course (NCOPC), NCO Leadership School (NCOLS), and NCO Academy (NCOA).
As time went by, the Air Force and the PME Center changed. Additional classrooms and staff were added to meet the rising demand for NCO PME. In October 1991, the NCOPC and NCOLS were replaced with the Airman Leadership School (ALS). On Oct. 29, 1991, AFSPC NCO PME Center graduated the first ALS class in the Air Force. On Sept. 9, 1992, Lt. Gen. Thomas S. Moorman, Jr., AFSPC/CV, dedicated the PME Center in memory of Medal of Honor Recipient, Technical Sergeant Forrest L. Vosler. In November 1993, the center was realigned under the College for Enlisted PME, Air University. This change heralded a new era for the center. The ALS became part of the 21st Space Wing, whilst the NCOA remained part of the College for Enlisted PME. This move enabled an increase of the NCOA class size to 90 students; however, the requirement for enlisted PME grew, and the NCOA had to change to meet those demands. On Jan. 7, 2002, the newly expanded and renovated NCOA was re-opened for business with its recently refurbished Learning Resource Center, staff offices, auditorium and classrooms. Then, in 2008, the college was renamed as the Barnes Center for Enlisted Education. We are now instructing 126 students in nine flights, seven classes a year.
Since the NCOA's doors opened in 1985, 14,871 students have graduated from the Forrest L. Vosler NCO Academy, and the school has met many achievements and challenges. Of the more recent achievements, in 2010, we welcomed our first Canadian student and were visited by former Chief Master Sergeants of the Air Force Eric W. Benken and Frederick J. Finch. Additionally, we mourned the passing of a dedicated supporter of the Vosler NCOA, Prisoner of War veteran, Col. William Baugh, USAF retired. Throughout the numerous changes, achievements, and challenges in its short history, the NCOA has continued the tradition of excellence, first established by its founders.
The Forrest L. Vosler NCO Academy shield was designed in the Spring of 1995, by Airman 1st Class Richard M. DelVechio II, assigned as an Information Management Specialist. Airman Del Vechio drew from the Forrest L. Vosler NCO Academy (VNCOA), the College for Enlisted Professional Military Education (CEPME), and the Air Education and Training Command (AETC), heraldries in designing the shield. The red and blue colors in the background are symbolic and in recognition of CEPME. The purple shield is symbolic of Technical Sergeant Forrest L. Vosler's first unit; the Harlingen Army Gunnery School, and the torch is symbolic of AETC. The lightning bolt that divides the shield is symbolic of the 303rd Bomb Group; Technical Sergeant Forrest L. Vosler's unit of assignment when he earned the Congressional Medal of Honor.
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