Computer technician named Airman of the Month Published Aug. 28, 2013 By Senior Airman Frank Casciotta 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Senior Airman Joseph Dalen is the 71st Flying Training Wing Airman of the Month for August. This was the first time Dalen has met an Airman of the Month board in his six-year career. "I wasn't nervous about the board," said Dalen, a client systems technician with the 71st Communications Squadron. "It was like a job interview, and I've always had an easy time talking to people." "He does outstanding work and is extremely professional," said Staff Sgt. Kevin Griffin, a client systems supervisor with the 71st CS. "Everything he touches turns to gold." As a client systems technician, Dalen repairs computers and updates software. When Dalen joined the Air Force he did not think he would stay in passed his six-year commitment. Now he's singing a different tune thanks to a master sergeant whose words helped him get through his first assignment. "I really didn't enjoy my first assignment, but one of my supervisors said, and I've heard it since then, 'Don't judge your career based on your first base,'" said Dalen, a Long View, Wash., native. "I really enjoy being in the Air Force now, and I plan to stay in." Each month Airmen across Vance are selected to represent their squadrons as the Airman of the Month. Candidates face a board made up of a chief, a senior NCO, a NCO and the previous month's Airman of the Month. They are judged on their military bearing, dress and appearance, and their knowledge of current events about the Air Force and the world around them.