BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. –
A four year veteran of the Air Force Reserve was recently named the 940th Air Refueling Wing's Airman of the Year.
Senior Airman Mary Cha, a traditional reservist from Sacramento, Calif. won the wing's prestigious award. Airman Cha, whose civilian career as a dental assistant is on hold while she backfills for the 9th Reconnaissance Wing security forces, said she was surprised to win the award.
"I didn't believe it at first," Airman Cha said. "It feels great to receive this award. I'm just simply happy and honored to have won."
She likes being part of the services flight because of the diverse jobs offered to her.
"Services is not just one job set, you can do four different jobs, food services, mortuary affairs, fitness, and lodging," said Airman Cha. "I like having options."
Airman Cha enjoys the camaraderie with her fellow reservists during the Unit Training Assembly Weekends.
"I enjoy working with the people that are in the unit," she said. "It's great that we can get along so well even though we see each other only two days out of the month. We (services) are a great team and we have fun."
Consequently, her most rewarding experiences with the wing were the 2008 Operational Readiness Inspection and her deployment to Honduras.
"I am proud to have finished the ORI, even though I did not enjoy it, and I enjoyed the deployment to Honduras. Assisting folks who make a difference in the community was really rewarding," Airman Cha said.
In her leisure time, Airman Cha enjoys scrapbooking and reading books, online news, and newspapers.