--- title: "Air Force chief master sergeant accused of DUI, leaving the scene of an accident" description: "The airman is the senior enlisted leader for the Iowa Air National Guard and in the highest enlisted rank of the Air Force." date: "2022-07-15" modified: "2022-07-15" authors: - name: "David Roza" job_title: "YouTube Writer/Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/david-roza/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/iowa-air-national-guard-chief-master-sergeant-dui/" categories: - "Air Force" - "Around the World" - "Military Branches" - "National Guard" - "News" - "United States" --- # Air Force chief master sergeant accused of DUI, leaving the scene of an accident ![thomas fennell]() *Chief Master Sgt. Thomas Fennell receives his new stripes during a change of authority ceremony in Sioux City Iowa, May 6, 2017. At the ceremony Fennell officially became the newest Command Chief of the 185th Air Refueling Wing. (Staff Sgt. Daniel Ter Haar/U.S. Air National Guard)* One of the highest-ranked enlisted members of Iowa’s Air National Guard was arrested early Thursday morning on charges of driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident, according to [Polk County, Iowa Jail records](). Command Chief Master Sgt. Thomas ’T.J.’ Fennell is the senior enlisted airman in the [Iowa Air National Guard](). As a chief master sergeant, he is also in the senior most enlisted Air Force rank which,[ by law,]() can only constitute 1.25% of the enlisted Air Force. Local news channel KCCI[ reported]() that Fennell registered a .282 blood alcohol reading on a preliminary breath test, though breathalyzers are often unreliable due to improper calibration, maintenance, and use,[ according]() to a 2019 New York Times investigation. In most states, [the legally-defined level of alcohol is .08](). The news channel also reported that Fennell’s alleged driving under the influence resulted in damaged property at Camp Dodge, an Iowa National Guard facility near Des Moines, the state capital. “The Iowa National Guard is currently working with local law enforcement in the investigation,” Capt. Kevin Waldron, deputy public affairs officer for the Iowa National Guard, said in a statement. “Isolated incidents of misconduct go against the stated values of the Iowa National Guard. We are working to provide the necessary resources to the individual and his family.” > [**Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today**]()**. Get the latest in military news, entertainment, and gear in your inbox daily.** The 57-year-old Fennell has a long history in the Iowa Air National Guard. The South Dakota native first joined the guard as a munition systems specialist in July 1988, when the Iowa Air Guard still flew [fighter jets](). He rose steadily through the ranks and through different positions at the Iowa Air Guard, even when it switched from fighters to aerial refueling tankers in 2003. Fennell deployed[ in support]() of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, and he served as a quality assurance inspector, personnel and retention specialist, and human resource advisor before promoting to chief master sergeant, the highest enlisted rank in the Air Force, in June, 2015, according to a service record provided by the Iowa National Guard. ![thomas fennell]() *Chief Master Sgt. Tom Fennell speaks with members of Sioux City, Iowa’s Junior ROTC program and students from East High School, following a change of authority ceremony where he became the newest Command Chief of the Iowa Air National Guard’s 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City, Iowa on May 6, 2017. (Master Sgt. Vincent De Groot/U.S. Air National Guard)* In 2017, Fennell became the command chief master sergeant for the 185th Air Refueling Wing before moving up to become command chief master sergeant for the entire Iowa Air National Guard in October 2019. Each of the Air National Guards across the country has a command chief master sergeant who “is the senior enlisted leader for their respective state,”[ according]() to the Air Force. “They are an integral member of the organization’s leadership team and are responsible for channeling of communications from the commander to all enlisted members.” “If we are to continue our tradition of excellence, we must remain ready and prepared for any unexpected challenges we might face in an uncertain tomorrow,” Fennell said when he rose to his[ current position]() in 2019. “This will require the development of a motivated, highly trained, fit, agile, and educated enlisted force.” Fennell also served his community out of uniform. According to a 2017[ press release](), the airman worked as a juvenile court liaison with Sioux City schools; coached track and cross country at East High in Sioux City; and helped create the Junior ROTC program at Sioux City schools. In 2017, he expressed his commitment to mentoring others. “We must find humility and motivation to mentor, develop, and create pathways for our successors,” he[ said]() to his fellow senior enlisted airmen. ## The latest on Task & Purpose - **Navy Blue Angels had to change their show after** [**jet caused $180,000 in building damage**]() - **The Army is getting leaders ready for a** [**war unlike any the US has ever seen**]() - **We salute this Marine for having a** [**promotion ceremony**]() **in the muck** - [**Navy fires nuclear submarine captain**]() **after only 8 months on the job** - **A Navy warship burned while** [**commanders argued over who was in charge**]() **Want to write for Task & Purpose?**[ **Click here**]()**. Or check out the latest stories on**[ **our homepage.**]() ## Author David Roza writes scripts about military news for the Task & Purpose YouTube channel, and he also writes articles about military pay, benefits, health care, child care, culture, and other personnel topics on a freelance basis. Roza previously covered the Air Force and Space Force for Task & Purpose from 2019 to 2023 and for Air & Space Forces Magazine from 2023 to 2025. In the course of that reporting, he has set off a ‘Hollywood explosion’ with Air Force bomb techs, turned the (unarmed) keys of a nuclear missile bunker, hovered over the Nevada desert on an Air Force rescue helicopter, and got the best sleep of his life on the floor of a C-17 over the central Pacific. Share tips and story ideas with David at [david.roza@teamrecurrent.io]()