SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Same mission, new name. The Noncommissioned Officer Academy at Sheppard Air Force Base honored one of the Air Force’s highest‑ranking enlisted members by dedicating its auditorium to Retired Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman Ramón Colón‑López during a ceremony May 27, 2026.
Born in Puerto Rico, Colón‑López moved to Connecticut with his family in 1989 before joining the Air Force in December 1990. He graduated from Traffic Management School at Sheppard Air Force Base in 1991 and was stationed at Iraklion Air Station in Crete before deploying in support of Operation Desert Storm. In 1994, Colón‑López cross‑trained to become a pararescueman.
“We are all about building leaders, people who can lead teams,” said Chief Master Sgt. Wilfred Morgan, commandant of the Sheppard NCO Academy. “Given your history in conflict and combat, we felt you were the perfect model for students to see every time they walk in here.”
Over the course of the next three decades, Colón‑López earned two Defense Superior Service Medals, the Legion of Merit and two Bronze Stars with Valor, along with many other awards, on his way to making chief and becoming the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the most senior enlisted service member, by position, in the United States Air Force.
The auditorium naming serves as a small thank‑you for a life of service. Colón‑López said the name on the outside is still less important than who is inside.
“This building really has nothing to do with me. It has to do with the motivation it takes to get the mission done right and the willingness to sacrifice and the intellect needed from every single one of you to be a complete warfighter.”
The Colón‑López Noncommissioned Officer Academy Auditorium is located in the Sheppard Noncommissioned Officer Academy building, which now features photos, plaques and personal effects on display for anyone to view, as well as a guest book that visitors are encouraged to sign.