Way back when, during the reign of the radio-active midnight sun, I took this photo of one of the young Airmen from the shift. A group of us from work spent the night out on the Kenai Peninsula, partying until dawn it was time to head home. In the summertime in Alaska, there really isn't much of a "dawn"... not one that you'd recognize.
One of the most difficult parts of being an NCO, in my opinion, is making the transistion from one who does things to one who supervises while others do things. Coupled with the overwhelming inexperience of the Airmen I have been supervising, I thought if I couldn't get elbows deep in the job I'd lose my mind.
In the past six months, all of the operators working for me have made great strides -- each and every one of them. They seem to motivate each other, and with every passing week the team as a whole gains more competence, additional capabilities, increased confidence.
Adam, the fellow in the photo above, has consistantly kicked butt on the job. He's not the type to invest much time in volunteer work, or participate in many squadron activities. In short, not the gung-ho type that would normally win "Airman of the Quarter" awards. However, the quality of his work is such that nominating him for "Technician of the Quarter" was a no-brainer. A no-brainer, indeed. Not only did he garner the Squadron's selection, but today I learned that he is the award winner at the Group level, as well. That, quite simply, is one of the highlights of my time here at Elmendorf. I would still rather roll up my sleeves and be shoulder to shoulder with the Airman, actually doing the job. The fact that I've got individuals like Adam working for me makes it a little bit easier.
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