Warrior of the Week

Staff Sgt. Bradley Hofstetter, 455th Expeditionary Aerial Port Squadron, is the Warrior of the Week. He is an air terminal operations center information controller deployed from the 75th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Sergeant Hofstetter’s primary duties include managing aerial port activities, ensuring all sub-sections meet sequence of events in the successful and on time departure of cargo and passenger aircraft. He disseminates aircraft information to include parking spots, aircraft configurations, and allowable cabin load (ACL) to Ramp Services. Reviews aircraft load plans for accuracy, briefs aircrews on cargo & passenger load characteristics to include any HAZMAT information or unique loading requirements. On being named Warrior of the Week Sergeant Hoffstetter, a Clearfield, Utah native, said, “It felt good.” “It was an honor to have the general and the command chief come to my work,” he added. Sergeant Hoffstetter said his job is important because he is the liaison between aircraft and cargo traveling to all parts in and out of Afghanistan. He added that his team prides themselves in fixing personnel and cargo travel issues to make sure everything and everyone get where they need to go. SSgt Hofstetter’s supervision commented about his performance by saying he is very organized and is able to multi-task several different missions at once. He remains calm and cool under pressure and executes the mission in a mature and professional manner. Bradley is conscientious in ensuring all agencies come together to facilitate on time departures of tactical and channel airlift. (U.S. Air Force photo by/ Tech. Sgt. Jeromy K. Cross)

Warrior of the Week Senior Airman Kristine Spence

Senior Airman Kristine Spence is the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Warrior of the Week. She is a biomedical equipment technician assigned to the 455th Expeditionary Medical Group/Task Force Medical and is deployed from the 60th Medical Support Squadron, Travis Air Force Base, Calif. Airman Spence’s primary duties include installation, repair and calibration of medical equipment for the Craig Joint Theater Hospital and supporting coalition medical facilities on Bagram Airfield. Since arriving, Airman Spence has been a vital component to mission success. She installed equipment and created power sources which increased the Craig Joint Theater Hospitals patient care capability by 38 percent. She also completed 30 percent of the total repair workload, completing 41 scheduled and 9 priority repairs in her first 30 days on station. When asked her feelings on being named Warrior of the Week, Airman Spence replied, “I am excited about it. It is an honor to think I was even considered.” “We keep the hospital running,” she said. She added without the equipment she and her crew maintain, the hospital staff would not be able to provide the quality care their patients need. For her nomination, Airman Spence’s supervision stated she recently won Air Force Level Biomedical Equipment Airman of the Year in 2009. Since she has arrived, Airman Spence has impressed her supervisors with her professionalism and positive attitude which also earned her Squadron Airman of the month January 2010. Airman Spence is also a victim advocate for the 455th AEW Sexual Assault Response Coordination Office and a member of the 455th EMDG quick reaction force. (U.S. Air Force photo by/ Tech. Sgt. Jeromy K. Cross/released)

Warrior of the Week

Tech. Sgt. Jeromy Cross is a public affairs photographer. He records the history of Bagram Airfield by capturing operations relating to the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing mission. His imagery includes: - aircraft (fixed and rotary wing) - personnel - flightline ops, to include maintenance, air cargo/air lift - Task Force Med ops, to include Medevac missions and medical photography - promotion, re-enlistment, and change of command ceremonies - historical documentation - joint missions (involving Afghan Military training) - alert photography, to include aircraft mishaps, crime scene investigation, photography for safety investigation boards, major accidents and natural disasters. Sergeant Cross organizes and maintains archive of 455th AEW still imagery, as well as accessioning imagery to the Defense Imagery Management Ops Center and National Archives. He Maintains and operates a fully capable photography studio to capture studio portraits of wing leadership, First Sergeants and personnel submitting official nomination packages. When asked his feelings with being nominated Sergeant Cross replied,"I was surprised. I take the photos of the Warrior of the Week every week and it was surprising that I was selected." Sergeant Cross explained the importance of his job by saying, "When people look at this war in history books, my photos will be used to explain what we accomplished here." Sergeant Cross' supervision commented on his service by explaining he has already demonstrated he is fully capable of career progression by receiving a line number for Master Sgt. He is proactive on communicating with all personnel on Bagram Airfield to pursue information and acquire imagery. He quickly established a great rapport with wing personnel and tripled imagery acquisition. Tech. Sgt. Cross uses these photos to tell their story and the Air Force story worldwide.

Warrior of the Week

Staff Sgt. Kerchell Strong is a knowledge operations manager assigned to the 955th Air Expeditionary Squadron and is deployed from Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. Her primary duty is to provide administrative support to more than 300 Joint Expeditionary Tasked Airmen dispersed throughout the Afghanistan area of operations. She provides expert assistance on Electronic Records Management, SharePoint and Community of Practice issues. A New York, N.Y. native, Sergeant Strong also processes Letters of Evaluation, Enlisted and Officer Performance Reports and monitors the squadron’s awards and decorations program and is the site manager for the squadron’s electronic information avenues. “I am flattered,” said Sergeant Strong. “I did not expect people to think my job was that important.” She added that her job was important because it ensures that U.S. and coalition forces have the proper administrative support to accomplish the command and control mission. Sergeant Strong’s leadership sited her as an exemplary Knowledge Operator/Client Systems Administrator. During a relatively short time on Bagram, she repaired critical loading errors on numerous Secret Internet Protocol computers, returning all to operational status within 24 hours. Her meticulous attention to detail was the key to enforcing procedures necessary to establish local area network and electronic mail accounts ensuring the activation of local user accounts in less than 24 hours. Additionally, Sergeant Strong’s proactive work ethic prevented data loss when she single-handedly copied and saved 75 squadron-level electronic files, providing disaster recovery and ensuring 100 percent accountability. She developed a comprehensive letter of evaluation checklist, streamlining the squadron process and reduced evaluation errors by 80 percent. Finally, she spear-headed the squadron’s filing system conversion, reducing man hours and network availability by 60 percent via electronic scanning and storage.

Warrior of the Week

The week’s 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Warrior of the Week is Senior Airman Christopher Alexander, 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron. Airman Alexander is a Joint Defense Operations Center controller deployed from the 9th SFS, Beale Air Force Base, Calif., who oversees outside the wire operations with the Army 82d Airborne Division as well as directs security for Bagram’s 14 mile perimeter. He monitors defense systems along the perimeter and has directed forces to more than 8,000 alarms activations. “It feels pretty good to be named Warrior of the Week,” said Airman Alexander, a native of Inverness, Fla. “I have been here for about five months, I am not sitting in a tower providing first line defense for the base but I make sure we have people in the place if something happens.” He said the key to his job is to monitor security situations as they arise and ensuring personnel are in place should the need for a show of force arise. Airman Alexander began his deployment as a tower guard at ECP-1 but due to his abilities was chosen as a JDOC controller. He is the Lead Controller and has responded to 14 indirect fire attacks in which he directed patrols to 12 on-base impact points. Airman Alexander also coordinated ground security and recovery of two downed Scan Eagle UAV’s. Airman Alexander utilized his off-duty time to enhance his education, completing six credit hours towards his Community College of the Air Force degree in Criminal Justice as well as volunteered 10 hours filling over 700 bags of candy to send to remote Forward Operating Bases.

Warrior of the Week

Tech. Sgt. Staci L. Schouest, 455th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron noncommissioned officer-in-charge of current operations, is this week’s Warrior of the Week. Tech. Sgt. Schouest manages situation reports for eight fixed wing flying squadrons and two support squadrons. She also consolidates flying schedules for all 455th Air Expeditionary Wing fixed wing flying squadrons and two combat search and rescue helicopter squadrons. She tracks all squadron inbound personnel and arranges travel for all outbound personnel. Whether performing her duties, tracking the AEW flight hours, working to arrange travel for redeploying Airmen or mentoring younger Airmen, TSgt Schouest engages all tasks head on with an enthusiastic attitude and does not stop until the task is complete. TSgt Schouest has gone above and beyond by learning tasks outside her primary career field, then using this knowledge to mentor Airmen in her charge, helping them to succeed. TSgt Schouest is the perfect example of the Air Forces Core Values and is highly deserving of this honor. Tech. Sgt. Schouest is deployed from Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeromy Cross)