JOINT BASE ANACOSTIA-BOLLING, Washington, D.C. –
The measure of a leader lies not just within their personal accomplishments, but also in how they carry others while fighting their own battles.
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Kymon G. Carriker, development advisor with the 11th Force Support Squadron and 811th Force Support Squadron, has spent his career helping Airmen build their futures. But behind the mentorship loomed a personal battle that would test his resilience, redefine his leadership, and shape the legacy he hoped to leave.
What’s remained steadfast during his 16 years in the Air Force is his commitment to education and his dedication in assisting Airmen develop the necessary skills to excel in their service to the nation.
“I came from a military family, but I never saw myself following that path,” shared Carriker.
His decision to join began as a pathway to obtaining free education, which led to him supporting Airmen in their pursuit of professional development and leadership as they climbed the ranks.
“When I came in, I was expecting to do my four years, obtain my degree and get out,” he shared. “Coming in, I was trying to figure life out, and I was determined to incorporate my interests and passions into my military experience.”
Carriker grew up in the small town in Georgia and his first assignment was at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota.
As a new Airman he worked in ground transportation but sought out ways to integrate his interests in arts.
“I volunteered a lot at the choir with the church on base and sang the national anthem for events,” he stated. “There was also a theatre in the city that I performed at.”
He also exhibited an aptitude for leadership and development from the beginning of his military career, and the positive culture at his first assignment set the tone for his path in the Air Force.
“My first base set me up for success,” he shared. “I had a great team that was like a close-knit family, and they were there to lean on and support me through my goals.”
But his drive to succeed didn’t stop at volunteer initiatives. Carriker put forth the effort to excel as an Airman, got promoted to staff sergeant the first time he was eligible, and completed his bachelor’s degree by the end of his first enlistment.
“I pursued a degree in education and hoped to one day teach and have the opportunity to pour into Airmen,” he shared.
By the time he promoted to technical sergeant and obtained his master’s degree, he had become an Airman Leadership School course instructor.
“I love teaching and my position as an ALS instructor gave me an outlet to express that,” he shared.
“All of my degrees are education based,” he added. “So my background translated perfectly into the special duty roles I took on in my early career and the job I hold now as a development advisor.”
Carriker shared that a lot of the skills he gained as an ALS instructor are maintained and strengthened in his current role and his involvement with Goose University, a professional development program at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C.
During his time as an instructor, he met his spouse, Marcus Carriker, and they married in December 2020. Soon after their wedding, he received news that would flip his world upside down.
“In February 2021, Marcus got extremely ill,” he shared. “Cancer runs in his family so in the back of our minds we knew before the doctor ever confirmed.”
His spouse faced a diagnosis of leukemia for the second time in five years.
“I just cried and all the negative thoughts flooded my mind,” Carriker remembered. “I just found the love of my life, and now we have to go through this. I may have to watch him die. Why me?”
Carriker balanced life as an ALS instructor at Joint Base Andrews, Md., and life as a caregiving spouse at home.
“I felt broken,” he said.
Every day Carriker stood in front of students teaching, guiding, and mentoring them to his best ability, all the while struggling at home. A job he once dreamed about was now dimmed by the fact that he could not fully show up at his full capacity.
“I had a duty to the students, and I didn’t want to let them down,” he said. “Each day, I put on my smile and made it through wearing the mask, while internally, I was breaking.”
Eventually, a coworker noticed that his demeanor had changed and pulled him aside to ask if he was okay.
“I just broke down and told them everything I had been silently battling at home,” he said.
His colleagues met him with understanding, care and an outpouring of support that made him feel like a weight was lifted.
“Their support made life so much easier,” he shared. “I no longer felt like I had to be the person to always have it together, and it gave me the opportunity to be a transparent leader.”
His leadership granted him the time needed to accompany his spouse to appointments as his husband underwent chemotherapy.
In November 2021, Carriker and his spouse got orders for Robins Air Force Base, Ga.
“We were both relieved to be stationed near family and to have more support during that time,” he said. “Things really seemed to be looking up.”
Having a larger system of support and being closer to his hometown, he focused on his goal of making master sergeant by his 15th year in service. On his first attempt for promotion he missed the mark by half a point. But Carricker remained determined and continued to prepare for the next board.
“Over the next few months, opportunities in my professional life really took off and I planned to put my best foot forward to prepare myself making master sergeant,” he shared.
But as his career opportunities increased, Marcus’s health continued to decline.
“Marcus decided he no longer wanted to undergo chemo and radiation,” Carriker shared. “But he still encouraged me to do everything I could to get that promotion.”
The couple finally received the medical prognosis that Marcus only had about a year to live.
“I fell apart,” Carriker said. “Marcus told me it was time to start discussing his funeral arrangements.”
Marcus passed away Feb. 24, 2024.
“That was the worst day of my life,” he shared. “But I learned to accept that he was in a better place and was no longer suffering.”
Through the loss of his husband, Carriker’s faith carried him on the most difficult days, and his dedication to the pursuit of his personal and professional goals fueled him to continue.
“Shortly after the funeral, I found out that I made master sergeant,” he shared. “I saw it as a parting gift from my husband.”
The experience taught him that some people are carrying invisible burdens, Carriker reflected.
“You have to be there for your people,” he said.
Despite his personal challenges, Carriker continues to lead with transparency and purpose, using his life experiences to ensure the Airmen around him feel supported, seen and prepared for whatever lies ahead.
He also found a way to expand his impact beyond his day-to-day role through creating professional development courses, providing career advice and dispensing retraining guidance to Airmen.
“I’m all about developing people,” he said. “This is just another way to do that.”
Flash forward 16 years from enlisting in the Air Force and he’s on the verge of completing his doctorate degree and four years away from retirement.
“Once you have made it this far in your career, you bring all of that knowledge you have and teach it to the people that you lead,” he said. “You matter and you have a voice.”