Chief Master Sgt. David J. Melby is the Command Chief Master Sergeant of the 512th Airlift Wing, an associate Air Force Reserve Command unit located at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. He is the senior noncommissioned officer responsible for the 1,800-person organization, which supports AFRC’s and Air Mobility Command’s worldwide airlift mission, operating C-5M Super Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft. As the Command Chief Master Sergeant, Chief Melby is the principal advisor to the wing commander on mission effectiveness, professional development, readiness, training, utilization and on all matters regarding the health, morale and welfare of wing personnel.
Chief Melby enlisted into the active-duty Army as a Combat Engineer in October 1990, and he transitioned to the Wisconsin Air National Guard in 1993. Chief Melby earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees through the University of Wisconsin. He joined the Air Force Reserve in 2013 and has over 30 years of experience, serving in key leadership roles as an Engineer, as well as multiple assignments as a First Sergeant and Command Chief Master Sergeant.
Chief Melby has deployed in support of operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom and Joint Task Force Horn of Africa. Prior to his current position, the chief was the Command Chief Master Sergeant of the 916th Air Refueling Wing, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.
EDUCATION
1994 Engineer Assistant Course, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas
1997 Noncommissioned Officer Preparatory Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2000 Bachelor of Arts, Behavioral Science and Law, University of Wisconsin-Madison
2000 Criminal Justice Certificate, Madison Police Department (intern), University of Wisconsin-Madison
2001 NCO Academy, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2005 Master of Science, Criminal Justice Administration, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
2007 Air Force First Sergeant Academy, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2008 Senior NCO Academy, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2008 Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education Course, Joint Knowledge Online
2009 Associate of Applied Science, Construction Technology, Community College of the Air Force, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2009 Associate of Applied Science, Human Resource Management, CCAF, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2010 Senior NCO Academy, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2014 Senior NCO Leadership Development Course, Wright-Patterson, AFB Ohio.
2014 Professional Manager Certification, CCAF, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2014 Enterprise Management Development Academy, University of Wisconsin-Madison
2015 Air Force Reserve Command, Chief Leadership Course, Robbins AFB, Ga.
2017 Reserve Component National Security Course, National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
2017 Senior Enlisted Joint PME II Course, JKO
2018 Defense Support of Civil Authorities Phase 1 Course, JKO
2019 Continuous Process Improvement for Executives Course, Institute for Defense Business, Arlington, Va.
2021 Latin America Regional Seminar, Alan L. Freed Associates Inc., Capitol Hill Club, Washington, D.C., virtually
ASSIGNMENTS or CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. October 1990 – May 1991, Combat Engineer Apprentice, D589th Engineer Battalion, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. (January 1991 – Apr 1991, Combat Engineer Apprentice, D589th Engineer Battalion, Saudi Arabia and Iraq)
2. May 1991 – August 1992, Combat Engineer Apprentice, C299th Engineer Battalion, Fort Sill, Okla.
3. August 1992 – February 1993, Combat Engineer Apprentice, C299th Engineer Battalion, Fort Carson, Colo.
4. May 1993 – September 1994, Apprentice Engineering Specialist, 115th Fighter Wing, Madison, Wis.
5. September 1994 to November 2000, Engineering Assistant, 115th FW, Madison, Wis. (October 1999 – November 1999, Engineer Assistant, 363rd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia)
6. November 2000 – May 2007, NCO in Charge, Engineer Assistant Section, 115th FW, Madison, Wis.
(March 2002 – May 2002, Engineer Assistant, 363rd ECES, Prince Sultan AB, Saudi Arabia)
(August 2004 – December 2004, NCO in Charge, Engineer Assistant Section, 332nd ECES, Balad AB, Iraq)
7. May 2007 – November 2008, First Sergeant, 115th Civil Engineer Squadron, Madison, Wis.
8. November 2008 – October 2010, First Sergeant, 115th Mission Support Group, Madison, Wis. (August 2009 – January 2010, First Sergeant, 380th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron, Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates)
9. October 2010 – June 2013, NCO in Charge, 115th Force Support Squadron-Student Flight, Madison, Wis.
10. July 2013 – July 2014, First Sergeant, 934th Civil Engineer Squadron, Minneapolis, Minn.
11. July 2014 – March 2015, Engineer Assistant, 934th CES, Minneapolis, Minn.
12. March 2015 – March 2018, Chief Enlisted Manager, 934th CES, Minneapolis, Minn.
13. March 2018 – September 2020, Command Chief Master Sergeant, 940th Air Refueling Wing, Beale AFB, Calif.
14. October 2020 – June, 2022, Command Chief Master Sergeant, 916th ARW, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
15. June 2022 – Present, Command Chief Master Sergeant, 512th Airlift Wing, Dover Air Force Base, Del.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal
Army Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Southwest Asia Service Medal with two bronze stars
Iraqi Campaign Medal with bronze star
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Air Force Overseas Ribbon (short)
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with gold frame and oak leaf cluster
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) with device
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Government of Kuwait)
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Private April 10, 1991
Private First Class Oct. 10, 1991
Specialist Oct. 10, 1992
Senior Airman May 27, 1993
Staff Sergeant March 1, 1998
Technical Sergeant Dec. 1, 2000
Master Sergeant Dec. 1, 2002
Senior Master Sergeant June 1, 2010
Chief Master Sergeant Aug. 1, 2015
(Current as of January 2025)