OSS NCOs tops in AETC

Published Dec. 11, 2006
By 1st Lt Paula Bissonette
Public Affairs

Vance Air Force Base, Okla. -- Two NCOs from the 71st Operations Support Squadron recently received command level recognition for their outstanding performance as NCO and SNCO of the year for 2003.
MSgt Joseph Andrukaitis earned the Air Education and Training Command Gardner Award for Outstanding Weather Senior NCO and TSgt Dennis Williams earned the AETC Airfield Management NCO.
"It's great to have two award winning individuals who you can rely on and know they're doing their job better than anyone else in the command," said Lt Col Lawrence Reed, OSS commander.
Sergeant Andrukaitis leads, evaluates and motivates a team of 12 military and civilian forecasters at one of the most severe weather-prone active US military bases in the world. He also displayed leadership and great initiative to implement dynamic reengineering initiatives into daily operations by reorganizing the weather station into new functional areas and responsibilities which greatly improved customer support, according to the award package.
"AETC is a busy place for everyone in the OSS," Sergeant Andrukaitis said. "We do a good number of briefs every day. I enjoy working with the pilots; it makes working here more enjoyable. I think that personal communication between weather forecasters and the students/IPs brings everyone together as a team."
Another proud member of the OSS, Sergeant Williams was handpicked by his AETC functional manager to serve as Chief, Airfield Management at a forward operating base in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM, SOUTHERN WATCH and IRAQI FREEDOM. During his deployment he ensured the successful execution of more than 3,600 sorties resulting in excess of 15, 224 flight hours to off-load more than 102.5 million pounds of fuel to 8,673 aircraft, according to the award package.
"The award was won because of the hard work put in by military and civilians in the OSS," Sergeant Williams said. "They were the driving force behind the work that I did, we are a collected team."
Both Sergeant Andrukaitis and Sergeant Williams will go on to compete at the Air Force level.