Retired operator speaks to command and staff class

Gathering of Eagles panel member, retired Air Force Chief Master Sergeant William “Calvin” Markham, addresses members of the 2018 Air Command and Staff College graduating class, Maxwell Air Force, Alabama, May 29, 2018. Markham was the first Airman on the ground in Afghanistan in 2001 as a combat controller, and coordinated airstrikes totaling more than 450 destroyed enemy vehicles and 3,500 enemy troops eliminated. (US Air Force photo by William Birchfield)

Retired operator speaks to command and staff class

Gathering of Eagles panel member, retired Air Force Chief Master Sergeant William “Calvin” Markham, addresses members of the 2018 Air Command and Staff College graduating class, Maxwell Air Force, Alabama, May 29, 2018. The retired combat controller was the first Airman on the ground in Afghanistan in 2001, and is credited with eliminating more than 3,500 enemy fighters in less than two months through his deadly use of precise air power. (US Air Force photo by William Birchfield)

Retired operator speaks to command and staff class

Gathering of Eagles panel member, retired Air Force Chief Master Sergeant William “Calvin” Markham, addresses members of the 2018 Air Command and Staff College graduating class, Maxwell Air Force, Alabama, May 29, 2018. Markham, a retired combat controller, was the first Airman on the ground in Afghanistan in 2001. His use of precise air power helped the initial American forces gain the trust of Afghan Northern Alliance partner fighters, and he was awarded a Silver Star Medal for his actions. (US Air Force photo by William Birchfield)

Retired operator speaks to command and staff class

Published June 8, 2018
By William Birchfield
24th Special Operations Wing

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Gathering of Eagles panel member, retired Air Force Chief Master Sergeant William “Calvin” Markham, addresses members of the 2018 Air Command and Staff College graduating class, Maxwell Air Force, Alabama, May 29, 2018. The retired combat controller was the first Airman on the ground in Afghanistan in 2001, and is credited with eliminating more than 3,500 enemy fighters in less than two months through his deadly use of precise air power. (US Air Force photos by William Birchfield)