CHRISTOPHER STANLEY
Senior Master Sergeant Christopher P. Z. Stanley retired in October 2001 as the First Sergeant for the 74th Medical Operations Squadron, 74th Medical Group, Aeronautical Systems Center, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
Sergeant Stanley entered the Air Force through the Delayed Enlisted Program on 28 April 1977, entering active duty on 28 October 1977.
As a first sergeant, he was responsible for the health, morale, welfare, readiness, and discipline, and in his last position, was responsible for over 550 enlisted personnel and 450 officers in the largest medical squadron in the Air Force.
He was highly decorated, including the Meritorious Service Medal with six oak leaf clusters, the Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, and the Air Force Achievement Medal with six oak leaf clusters.
He was the first-ever, and only, president of the Homestead Top Three Association and served as the treasurer for the Wright-Patt Top Three Association for three years. He also published a newsletter for the employees of the City of Fairborn for two years. He served on the Veterans Affairs Volunteer Service advisory board at the Dayton VA Medical Center for four years as well as being involved with the Wright-Patt Young Heroes Association. As President, he led AFSA Chapter 751 to the AFSA Chapter of the Year (runner-up), AFSA Legislative Achievement Award, AFSA Newsletter of the Year award and the Wright-Patterson AFB Angel Award in 1996, as well as garnering the AFSA International Newsletter Award in 1994 and 1995 and AFSA International Division Newsletter of the Year award in 1997. He served as, and continues to serve as the Master of Ceremonies for numerous events on Wright-Patterson AFB, including as the emcee for all Air Force Marathon activities every year since 1999.
Since his retirement from active duty, he served in a part-time position as the Executive Director of the Fisher/Nightingale Houses, Inc., the 501(c)3 non-profit established solely for the purpose of raising the support costs for the two Wright-Patterson AFB Fisher Houses (Ronald McDonald-type compassionate care facilities operating on the base). He has raised more than $9 million in this capacity for operational support, plus $1.575 million for the Dayton VA Medical Center Fisher House and an additional as $1.2 million for the construction of a new Fisher House at Wright-Patterson AFB (which opened in April 2011). He assumed the position full-time on 1 November 2016, due to the expanding responsibilities with the Dayton VA Medical Center Fisher House (which opened in October 2018). Chris retired from the Fisher/Nightingale Houses, Inc. position on 30 June 2023.
Chris previously served as the Personnel Elder at Kirkmont Presbyterian Church in Beavercreek, Ohio for six years and is currently serving a second three-year term as an Elder. He is a member of the Air Force Sergeants Association, Air and Space Forces Association, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, The Enlisted Association, and the National Association for Uniformed Services. In October 2019, he served as an escort for Honor Flight Dayton, escorting two Vietnam veterans to Washington DC, fulfilling one of his “bucket list” items.
He was selected as the Air Force Association Wright Memorial Chapter 212 Enlisted Award winner for 2015; was selected as a Dayton Business Journal “Veteran of Influence” in November 2017 and received the prestigious “Winkler/Martin Award” from the Miami Valley Military Affairs Association in November 2018.
Sergeant Stanley has accepted the position of Trustee and Treasurer for American Veterans Heritage Center as of October, 2023. A hearty welcome to Chris Stanley!
