Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. – As he enters his final National Guard drill weekend here, Chief Master Sgt. Marvin J. Boyd is as busy as ever, leaving nothing to chance prior to his retirement after 35 years of military service. A stickler for details, he’s making sure everything is buttoned down; emailing co-workers and making phone calls to check on his cadre. Those things you still ‘just do’ after three and half decades of wearing the uniform.

After joining the Navy in 1987 and serving as a hospital corpsman during his initial four-year enlistment, he later joined the Washington Air National Guard, spending a significant portion of his career with the 242nd Combat Communications squadron at Geiger Field, as the unit’s superintendent. He was later selected as the superintendent for the 194th Mission Support Group at Camp Murray in late 2015 prior to his final assignment at the Washington Air National Guard Headquarters.

The bookends of Chief Boyd’s tenure as the Air National Guard State Command Chief are significant anniversary dates in the history of the country. He became the senior enlisted leader on December 7, 2019 when Chief Master Sgt. Max Tidwell retired, and subsequently handed off his position to Chief Master Sgt. Allan Lawson on September 11, 2022. During his time on the job, history didn’t take a holiday. Less than two months after assuming responsibility for the 4,000 plus enlisted Airmen of the Evergreen state, the Covid-19 global pandemic surged across all parts of the nation and state.

“We’ve been through Covid, which meant setting up all the food banks across the state, along with the (COVID) testing sites, then there was civil unrest support, unemployment assistance for the state, and then our humanitarian relief mission with our Afghan partners,” said Boyd, reviewing and assessing just some of the pressing tasks that Washington Air National Guard members have recently supported. “So much of the past two plus years has been focused on the domestic operations and humanitarian missions to really help our communities – it’s really what the Guard is all about.”

The federal missions have changed significantly over this same time period as well. The U.S. military left Afghanistan after more than 20 years of combat operations on August 31, 2021. Boyd volunteered that same month for Operation Allies Welcome and was assigned to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, helping thousands of evacuated Afghans transition to a new life in the United States.

The hectic pace of readiness after nearly two decades of deployments for American service members has ushered in new challenges for guard members too, something Boyd contemplated as he prepares to leave the service.

“So what’s the next step for our country and our airmen?” he asked hypothetically. “I think it involves the basics: we need to look at our organization’s strengths and look at both the near and long-terms needs, we also need to be able to recruit new members to our organization.”

In many ways, Boyd noted the domestic operations have been beneficial in two distinct yet concurrent measures. “First by directly impacting the community, which has allowed the citizens to see first-hand the value of the National Guard, and then to the lessons we’ve learned in doing these various types of jobs.”

When Washington Air National Guard Commander Brig. Gen. Gent Welsh selected Boyd as the State Command Chief, he said he was looking for someone who could “balance the ticket,” as the state’s leadership level.

“I first met and worked with (Chief Boyd) him in the 242nd and later with the 194th Wing,” said Welsh. “In many ways it was extremely helpful during Covid to have someone from the east side of the state in place serving our airmen in a leadership capacity during the initial lockdowns.”

The role of the State Command Chief in many was helps airmen see someone to aspire to and represent them as enlisted members, Welsh said. They also need to possess three essential characteristics.

“It’s important to have a counter point for decisions, as well as someone who will hold you accountable and cover your blind spots… it sounds cliché, but a real ‘Wingman’ who has a different perspective or approach that helps accomplish the mission.”

Welsh said he also relied on Boyd to help motivate his fellow senior noncommissioned officers and was consistently responsive to pressing requirements. “Even though he was in a traditional [drill status] role, I could always count on him replying right away to a call or a message. He wanted to make sure our leadership team was always looking out for our airmen.”

Even approaching retirement, this is still an important factor for Boyd: making sure the airmen of the Washington Air National Guard are being considered and appreciated.

“Look at all the time we choose to give up as service members – we truly give up a lot to do this – to stand up and be that 1% that go out the door when so many others aren’t willing to do it,” said Boyd. “It’s why we need to take care of our people, whether it’s tuition assistance, or health care benefits or opportunities to grow.”

In regards to time, Boyd said this is something he plans to immediately give back to his family as he hangs up his uniform.

“I want to give back time and attention to my family. My wife, Brenda, has been with me on this entire 35-year journey, and I want to catch up with my two kids,” he said, listing his most pressing plans. “After six months, then maybe see what’s next in life. There are several civic groups I am looking to volunteer with. I still feel like community service is important and that I want to contribute too.”