Four Vance mission supporters tops in AETC

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Agneta Murnan
  • 71st Flying Training Wing public affairs
VANCE AFB, Okla. --  Four Team Vance members recently were named winners of the Air Education and Training Command Mission Support Awards for outstanding performance in the areas of personnel, military equal opportunity, professional military education and training.

Airman 1st Class Justin Casey, Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Sewell, Master Sgt. David McClelland, Jr. and Richard Shepard received the command recognition for their performance in 2006.

Airman Casey, 71st Mission Support Group commander support staff apprentice, was named the top unit-level personnel specialist. His accomplishments last year included single handedly running personnel functions in the MSG CSS for two months, processing 16 time-sensitive accessions with 100 percent accuracy and 340 requests for leave with 100 percent of applicants having valid leave numbers. He designed a first-ever MSG database to track sponsorship training with 100 percent accountability for all training. Airman Casey demonstrated excellence not only at his job, but in his education and self improvement as well. He mastered his career development course with a 91 percent end score and motivated his peers by scoring well into the excellent range on his annual fitness exam. He also volunteered for the Combat Readiness Course to accomplish the physical and mental preparation necessary for field and war conditions and completed the personnel contingency course years ahead of schedule. Continually involved in the base and community, Airman Casey volunteered as a Security Forces Squadron augmentee and served as vice president of the base Cultural Committee and treasurer for the 71 MSS booster club.

Sergeant Elizabeth Sewell, 71st Mission Support Squadron NCO in charge of personnel employment, was honored in the base-level personnel technician category. She was handpicked by the command chief master sergeant to mentor Airman Leadership School selectees. As status of resources and training system monitor, she gained valuable special experience identifier slots and achieved accurate wartime capability reporting. Her innovation and initiative in creating a retraining trifold was recognized by Headquarters Air Force, who directed AF-wide adoption. Sergeant Sewell's refinement of the first assignment instructor pilot assignment and qualification process was benchmarked by Columbus and Laughlin AFBs. She also created new on-line base in-processing procedures to timely gain 550 members. Sergeant Sewell completed 15 credit hours toward a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management at Bellevue University, maintaining a 3.8 grade point average while also earning a seven level in the minimum time allowed. Sergeant Sewell volunteered to help in the fundraising of $15,193 for the March of Dimes and Operation Warmheart, and served as the MSS booster club president and Air Force Sergeant's Association vice president.

The AETC First Term Airman Center NCO in Charge of the Year was Sergeant David McClelland Jr., 71st MSS NCO in charge of professional development. Sergeant McClelland designed the $291,000 professional development center renovation, installing state-of-the-art technology lauded by the 19th Air Force command chief master sergeant as the "best seen". He also managed 10 FTAC and five NCO/Senior NCO seminars to develop 90 Air Force leaders for 15 organizations. To identify potential learning disabilities and training obstacles, he implemented reading and comprehension evaluations for 52 students. Sergeant McClelland promoted self improvement by both attending and hosting 20 hours of "Principles of Instruction" to enhance speaking and lecture tools among Airmen. A great instiller of wingman responsibility, Sergeant McClelland is a certified suicide intervention instructor and led 252 Airmen in Operational Risk Management training and 300 people in suicide prevention and violence awareness training. Working to help develop the local community, Sergeant McClelland led 48 parents and children in a study of effective attitudes and 20 handicapped youth on a campout. He also served as an annual and quarterly awards committee leader, Sunday school bible director for 95 adults and as a AFSA trustee and treasurer.

Earning the Air Force Education and Training Manager Award is Richard Shepard, 71 Medical Group unit training manager. Not only was Mr. Shepard the training center coordinator responsible for the training and performance oversight of 250 active duty, contractor and government employees, he was also solely responsible for the MDG staff training of 133 personnel with respect to requirements of the health services inspection, the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, the operational readiness inspection and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. With his guidance, 34 upgrade training students achieved a 100 percent passage rate for the emergency operations center test. Mr. Shepard's training program was praised by the AETC training functional manager during the 2006 staff assistance visit.

These AETC award winners will compete at the Air Force level against other major command winners.