Two chiefs of two generations Published Feb. 24, 2014 By Airman 1st Class Apryl Hall Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- He was fresh out of high school and living with his parents at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., when his father came home from work with big news. "My dad yelled 'We got orders to Italy!' and I was so excited," said the then 22-year old and now Chief Master Sgt. Jason P. Colón, 91st Operations Group superintendent. "Then he followed up with, 'And by we, I mean your mother and I.'" In the face of being on his own just a few years out of high school while trying to balance a part-time job and college classes, Jason Colón knew what he had to do. "In the short of it, my dad walked me down to the local Air Force recruiter, and there I joined," Jason Colón said. Although Colón had the option to finish college and pursue a different career, he chose to follow in his father's footsteps and continue on the long legacy of family military service. During basic training he learned how strong the military family bond was when Jason Colón's military training instructor found out his father was a master sergeant in the Air Force, he said. "That was my first indication that there's a relationship with your family being part of the Air Force," Jason Colón said. "There's a real connection there." Despite being what he calls a "slow burner" early in his career, Colón says that his father's "unintentional impression" is what helped him stay motivated. "Growing up, I saw him go to work every day for long hours and then come home and talk about how hard he had worked," Jason Colón said. "That's the thing, you have to go and give 100 percent every day and work hard." While both Jason Colón and his father moved through the ranks, his father eventually obtained the highest rank, chief master sergeant. Jason Colón had reached staff sergeant and admittedly did not quite understand just how big his father's accomplishment was. "I didn't know exactly how big chief was," Jason Colón said. "To me, master sergeant was the world!" Jason Colón got a glimpse of the weight the position of chief holds when he attended his father's retirement ceremony. He was returning from his second tour in Iraq while his father's ceremony was being held in Madrid right about the same time. Instead of returning home to the United States, Jason Colón did what he had to make it to Madrid in time for his father's retirement. He even had his wife mail his service dress uniform so he could wear them to the ceremony. Although his father had moved on from the Air Force, Jason Colón still looked to his father and his career as an example to live by. It culminated with him reaching the same pinnacle, chief master sergeant. The first thing he did when he received the news was call his father. "I was exploding out of my skin!" said Colón's father, retired Chief Master Sgt. Peter Colón. "It's the top of your career ladder and a big achievement. I just swelled up." Although receiving the news that his son had made chief was high on his list of exciting life moments, it pales in comparison to his son's actual promotion ceremony, retired Chief Colón said. By helping put his son's chief stripes on and making a speech at the event, he played a vital role in his son's promotion ceremony. "To be standing side-by-side with your son in uniform is very impressionable," said Peter Colón. "Besides being proud to be a part of something so significant in his life and career, I just felt honored to be there." While fighting back tears during his speech, the retired chief spoke about his son's achievements, the importance of his son proving himself in his new position and what it meant for him and his wife to be able to attend the ceremony. "His mother and I wouldn't have missed that for the world," said the retired chief master sergeant. "We would have come from the ends of the earth to be there." While it is widely known that only 1 percent of Air Force enlisted members make the rank of chief master sergeant, the percentage of second-generation chiefs is arguably non-existent. Though both Jason Colón and his father understand the significance of being part of such a small group of Airmen, they do not focus on the exclusiveness of their accomplishments. "I don't look at it like that, like I'm 1 percent of 1 percent," said Jason Colón. "I just look at it as a special bond between my father and I more than anything else."