BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. –
An Aero Repair Technician with the 940th Air Refueling Wing was recently named the wing's Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year.
Air Force Reservist Tech. Sgt. Bryan L. Smith with the 940th Maintenance Group was surprised to win NCO of the Year; he believes there are so many other people in the wing who deserve the recognition.
"The unit has a lot of talent and potential, and I'm honored to receive this award, by doing so, I hope that I'm honoring them and recognizing them as well. I don't do a good job by myself," he said.
Sergeant Smith began his military career in 1985 at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J. He joined the 940th Air Refueling Group in 1990 at Mather Air Force Base, and later that year, received training on the KC-135 Stratotanker at Beale AFB and ended up back at Beale six years latter.
He feels that his unique contribution to the wing is his expertise in the KC-135.
"I've learned so much about the systems of the KC-135 aircraft and have come to appreciate the Boeing engineers in their design of this 50 plus year old aircraft," said the sergeant.
The most fulfilling event he has been a part of during his time with the 940th ARW was the opportunity to repair a KC-135 after a major break down in 2003.
"Team members from the 940 MXG went to Patrick AFB to rescue a KC-135 after the number three engine came apart internally after take off," said Sergeant Smith. "We, as a team, put it back together with a new engine and strut before Christmas; we did it in two weeks and flew back to Beale on it!"
This was a significant event for Sergeant Smith, who is part of the wing's Disabled Aircraft Recovery Team, because of the difficulty of the job and the team work involved with the repair. He said there was only a team of seven or eight to fix the engine, and they all had a direct impact on putting the engine together and getting the jet flying on time.
"We had the confidence and pride in our work to fly the jet back to Beale, and when we returned Quality Assurance found no problems with the work we had done," he said.
Sergeant Smith also enjoys the camaraderie and accomplishments shared during Unit Training Assemblies and deployments with the 940th.
"It's nice to be surrounded by people who have a common purpose in mind as they serve their country and are eager to accomplish as much as they can in the space of one weekend," he said.
Sergeant Smith understands that the Air Force relies on team work to accomplish the mission and that it is not an individual activity.
"Airplanes don't fly themselves; it takes people helping people, training and tools to accomplish the mission," said the NCO of the Year. "There are invisible batons passed every day from person to person, because, in reality, people are the tools that make ideas fly."