The Buckley Education and Training Center hosted the 2012 Community College of the Air Force spring graduation June 29 to celebrate the accomplishments of 82 Team Buckley members.

“The CCAF degree is a strategic degree used for furthering your career for now and for after your service,” explained Allison Garner, BETC education specialist. “It requires dedication, perseverance and personal time to complete your CCAF degree.”

The graduation guest speaker, Chief Master Sgt. William Ward, 460th Space Wing command chief, congratulated the graduates on their accomplishment while stressing the importance of the degree they were about to receive.

“The CCAF degree remains the most important degree for enlisted advancement,” said Ward. “It is extremely important to the enlisted corps and plays a vital role in their core competencies.”

To obtain a CCAF degree students are required to complete 60 credit hours. These credit hours are broken down into categories of the following; 24 technical education, 15 general education, 15 elective programs, six leadership/management education and four physical training hours. While this may seem like a lot, servicemembers have a multitude of options available to them to complete their degree.

The first step is technical training school which will satisfy some, if not all, of the technical education credit hours, explained Garner. There are also CLEP and DANTES exams for individuals looking for a quicker completion plan to the traditional civilian college class.

The CCAF degree is the first degree many servicemembers will receive in their careers, and for just as many, it may be the first in their household.

“For a lot of people graduating, they are (the) first person in their family to get a degree,” said Garner. “It creates a legacy. It impacts their personal lives and uplifts the other (airmen) around them.”

The command chief reminded the graduates that their responsibility lies not only with their career, but with the mission as well. Making the CCAF degree a crucial part of their professional development.

“The CCAF degree is not a desire,” said Ward, “it is an expectation as a non-commissioned officer.”