C004918

Round shaped coin, pewter in color, 1 1/2 inches in diameter.

SIDE 1 - Senior Master Sergeant insignia of rank with an unmarked riggon banner below and, "SENIOR MASTER SRGEANT FIRST SERGEANT" along the upper edge; all within a narrow border.

SIDE 2 - Seal of the US Department of the Air Force,

SYMBOLISM:

- The shield colors represent white clouds in a blue sky.

- At the center, a "Jupitor's Thunderbolt" with wings surrounded by

multiple lightning flashes.

- The eagle is the symbol of the United States.

- The thirteen stars represent the original thirteen colonies.

- MCMXLII represents 1947, the year the Air Force was established

First Sergeant, Senior Master Sergeant (SMSgt)

In the United States Air Force, first sergeant is not a rank, but a special duty held by a senior enlisted member of a military unit who reports directly to the unit commander. This billet is held by individuals of pay grades E-7 through E-9 (master sergeant, senior master sergeant and chief master sergeant), and is denoted on the rank insignia by a lozenge (known colloquially as a "diamond"). Often referred to as the "first shirt", or "shirt", the first sergeant is responsible for the morale, welfare, and conduct of all the enlisted members in a squadron and is the chief adviser to the squadron commander concerning the enlisted force. Most units have a master sergeant in this position, while larger units use senior master sergeants and chief master sergeants as first sergeants.