BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. –
An Air Force Reservist assigned here to the 940th Air Refueling Wing Services Flight has been named the 2007 Noncommissioned Officer of the Year.
Tech. Sgt. Barbara Baskins Mateus, daughter of William E. Baskins, Jr., of Little Rock, Arkansas, is a services specialist with the 940th, is now serving on active duty with 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale as a security forces augmentee.
Although activated for a third year to augment the 9th Security Forces Squadron full-time, Sergeant Mateus continues to serve as a Reservist for the 940th Services Flight. This makes her a unique representative of the Air Force here.
"I'm truly a part of every aspect of Beale Air Force Base," she said, smiling. "I enjoy the interaction with all of Team Beale, both active duty and Reserve."
Although she was born in Waukegan, Ill., the sergeant was raised in Little Rock, and has called the Beale AFB area home since 1983, when she was first assigned here.
She serves as her unit safety representative, and has worked in lodging and physical training. But she says her most fulfilling work has been to support the somber duties of the Air Force Reserve's 512th Mortuary Affairs Squadron at Dover AFB, Del.
Sergeant Mateus first deployed to Dover in June of 2001 to process 22 fatalities from an Air National Guard plane crash, and returned Sept. 13, 2001 to assist in processing the 185 casualties from the Pentagon after the terrorist attacks Sept. 11.
She returned in 2003, 2005 and 2007 to assist with processing remains of service members killed in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
She has also deployed to Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England in 1996; Aviano Air Base, Italy in 1998 and Al Jabar AB, Kuwait, in 2002.
Sergeant Mateus's time away from her military duties is full as well. She has three children, Andres, 21, Ricardo, 19 and Rosalina, 18. She enjoys watching movies, but devotes time to running, attending church and helping needy neighbors.
"I'm so proud to be part of the 940th ARW," she said. "I love the Air Force, and it gets better every year!" She said not only has the Reserve been good to her, but the people at the 9th SFS are great to work with, too.
When asked how it felt to be considered the "best of the best" in her category for the wing, she said, "Awesome, just unbelievable."