LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Senior Master Sgt. Lindy Everton is devoted to both her family at home – her wife Becca and her two young boys Parker and Grayson– and her family at work, so she is elated to be assigned as the Space Base Delta 3 First Sergeant because, as she simply states, “taking care of people is my passion!”
Inspired by her father’s six years of service in the Air Force, and her paternal grandfather’s 30 years of service in the Navy, Everton enlisted in the Air Force right after high school, finding herself starting basic training two days after she turned 18 years old. Now, 18 years later, Everton is still energetic about her career and has loved every minute of it.
She began her first job in the USAF as a Public Health Technician, and a few years later, cross-trained into Civil Engineering (CE) Structures. Although she loved CE work, after serving as an Airman Dormitory Leader in Korea, she started looking for more developmental positions. Everton recalls, “[The AF was] looking for female Military Training Instructors (MTIs) and I had two senior Non-Commissioned Officers that pulled me aside…and one said, ‘I think you’d be good at this job,’ and I was like, ‘no way, yelling at people and directing people?’ I was goofy, someone who liked to avoid conflict… but that was a changing point for me; not just in my professional career but in my life.”
Taking the chance to become an MTI grew Everton’s confidence and leadership skills, “The biggest thing I learned as an MTI is how important real feedback is. People ask for feedback, and everyone is scared to tell them what they really think. I’m an absolute straight shooter; sometimes you’re not going to like it, but I’m going to tell you how it is, in a professional manner,” she shared.
Armed with effective conflict resolution and constructive feedback skills, she grew into a successful servant leader. “A flight comes in as civilians. I train them for about eight weeks, and then they march the bomb run, graduating as Airmen. To see that transformation for the first time, was one of my proudest moments in my career.”
Everton served as a highly competent MTI for the 331 Training Squadron and the MTI schoolhouse until she landed her dream job as a First Sergeant. She shared her perspective on what it means to be a “Shirt;” “A First Sergeant takes care of the people…readiness is our mission. That doesn’t just mean, follow a checklist and be deployable, it means making sure their family, finances, and all-around well-being is taken care of.”
After two years of serving as a First Shirt at Hurlburt Field and Little Rock AFB, she comes to SBD 3 enthusiastic to jump into space, figuratively. In fact, in 2022 when the Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force came to speak to Everton and a group of new First Sergeants, her first question to him was, “When is the Space Force getting First Sergeants, and where do I sign up?”
“I wanted to serve the Space Force in some capacity, and here I am!” She exclaimed. “I don’t have that many guardians under me, but I’m supporting all the guardians on this base.”
Being challenged early in her career to become an MTI, a job she wasn’t sure she was cut out for but excelled in, is a prime example of how she shows up as a leader today. She explained, “To know how you can help someone reach their full potential, you gotta get to know the person and what’s important to them. If I know what’s important to someone, I can see what they are capable of and help them get to the next level – put them in some of those uncomfortable situations sometimes which allows them to grow and do things they probably never thought they could.”
An easy to remember acronym that encompasses Everton’s leadership values is VIP: Visible, Integrity, Professional. She describes, “Be visible; means being present in the workplace, getting out from behind your desk and taking care of your people. I stands for integrity. Honesty is a huge thing for me. If you are honest, I can get you through anything and be there for everything. P is for professional; be professional in everything you do.”
Everton is here to serve; “People come first. Whoever walks through my [office] door is the most important thing.” If you don’t find her in her office, she is most likely out and about getting to know people face-to-face, she is reachable by phone. She emphasizes, “Give me a phone call or text [310-648-0671] and I will be there to respond.” First Sergeants are on call 24/7 and serve as part of the command team, aimed to support military members.
SBD 3 is fortunate to have Senior Master Sgt. Lindy Everton as our First Sergeant. Welcome to the team Shirt!