Retired CMSAF James C. Binnicker, who served from July 1986 through July 1990 as the ninth Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, died on March 21 in Calhoun, Ga. He was 76. Binnicker was “a man of honor and commitment to things greater than himself,” said Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, in the service’s release. “His passing is mourned by all airmen, past and present, around the globe,” she said. During his tenure as the service’s top enlisted leader, Binnicker led the transformation from the Airman Performance Report to the Enlisted Performance Report, developed the performance feedback system, and worked to have master sergeants admitted to the Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy and to increase opportunities for minority and female airmen, states the release. Binnicker’s Air Force career spanned 33 years; he retired in August 1990, according to his official Air Force biography. “We often speak of legends, those airmen who have gone before us,” said CMSAF James Cody. “Chief Binnicker is a legend among those legends. His impact on our Air Force is everlasting and we will truly miss his leadership, counsel, and friendship,” said Cody. In 2000 Binnicker, who was a native of Orangeburg, S.C., became president and CEO of the Air Force Enlisted Village in Shalimar, Fla., near Eglin Air Force Base. He held the job until his death. (For more on Binnicker, read Advocate of the Force from Air Force Magazine’s archives.)