Empowering Airmanship within Travis' ranks

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Troy Ballard
  • 60th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  More than a year ago, Master Sgt. Josh Philpott was an element chief in the 60th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.

In spite of his "Magnum P.I." - like mustache, for which he still receives quite a few pokes, he's performed his duties with enthusiasm, loyalty and admiration. Epitomizing standards, Philpott set out to instill just a little "blue" in every Airman. He started with roll calls.

Like many fields across the Air Force, maintainers nearly always start their shifts lining up for roll call. The roll is taken, information is disseminated and technicians are dispatched to the first jobs of their shift.

As a former military training instructor, Philpott recognized an immediate problem. The flight of Airmen at roll call was disorganized and standards were lax, even at some of the most basic levels. Haircuts were loose, buttons were unfastened and customs and courtesies were less than admirable.

Solution? He sized the flight. It's a simple exercise and one that every enlisted, current or former, Airman remembers from day two of basic military training. What was initially thought to be just another activity of a senior NCO who drank a little too much blue Kool-Aid became routine. The standard became routine. Before long, other standards began to improve: haircuts, uniforms and quality assurance pass rates. Teamwork also excelled, morale increased and productivity soared. And as elements of the other teams caught on and adopted a similar stance, the squadron began to notice and enjoy systematic improvements across the board.

Simple, isn't it? Not quite. As much as standards are the beginning, there must be a secondary force that sustains the effort. It isn't enough for electricity to exist. The voltage must be present to push current along the desired path, just as NCOs do with standards.

The impetus to for such a force rests almost exclusively at the hands of the front line supervisor: the staff sergeant.

The heart and soul of a unit, staff sergeants collectively wield the power to make or break mission success. Through their actions, this specific rank in our enlisted corps has more influence and levies more capability than any other stripe in our ranks. "Just how is that possible, chief?" Because the Air Force empowers all Airmen, Airmen like Staff Sgt. Brandon Sphar.

Sphar is a remarkable NCO. A through-and-through mechanic, he's proud of just about everything he's ever done and prospered through adversity, both on and off the job. As a single parent, he strives to be an unequalled father to his little girl, ever encouraging her to be bold and brave.

Professionally, he's always been the go-to technician. You know the type-the one you always count on to execute the mission and the one all leaders wish they had a hundred more of.

When I arrived last July, Sphar was the crew chief lead technician. A position normally held by a technical sergeant, I was amazed to learn he didn't have a line number for tech.

Clearly performing well outside his scope, Sphar kept a freight train of 120 crew chiefs squarely on the tracks with their quality, training and certifications. Not an easy task for anyone let alone a staff sergeant. After about a year as a lead tech, he achieved zero CDC failures and underpinned an eight-point bump in end of course pass rates. I'm grateful for his influence on Airmen of any rank and from any position.

Then there is the Airman tier; full of hope, ambition and youthful exuberance. Just as every stripe builds up on the sleeve, so does their symbolism, representing the foundation of our Air Force.

Let there be no mistake about it. Every new bumper crop of Airmen is where future leaders are forged. Given the opportunity and the right cultivation, their ingenuity is boundless.

Airman 1st Class Sulivong Vorachack is one of our electronic warfare technicians.

In late March, I took a tour of the squadron's dormitory led by two members of the dorm council. As well as common areas, we took an opportunity to visit several rooms, one of them being Vorachack's. His room was neat, clean, organized and you could clearly tell this wasn't just because an inspection was looming. This was pride, Vorachack's name was "on the mailbox." It should come as no surprise that my first impression of him was overwhelmingly positive.

So with the efforts of the dorm council with Vorachack as secretary combined with the pride of the residents, the entire dorm celebrated a second place finish in the first quarter of the year. But that wasn't enough. After putting even more elbow grease and pride in ownership the next quarter, these Airmen prevailed again, this time capturing the top prize. Then come the e-mail.

For those of us who've been around a bit, we all remember the stories of the Airman who sent the e-mail. You know the kind-poor grammar, borderline inappropriate and simply not how a young Airman should communicate to the squadron. Things have clearly changed.

Sharply, on the heels of their victory and with numerous congratulatory undertones, Vorachack sent a squadron-wide message noting an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. Gleaming with pride, he said "Our Airmen showed excellent teamwork, work ethic and pride these past few weeks and that did not go unrecognized today."

"This is what we do, because we are the best and we continue to prove that every day," he said.

He closed his remarks with "thank you, team." Excellence exemplified.

The 60th AMXS is on fire. From an unprecedented performance through the unit compliance inspections to record-breaking maintenance metrics and back-to-back Eagle Trophy wins, it becomes obvious to where the credit of such accomplishments reside.

It's not with me, the commander, or the shirt. Those accolades belong to the collective efforts of all. Well that's great chief, but how'd you get there?

First, build or strengthen teams in your units by findings ways to measure your teams' success through any method that promotes spirited and healthy competition. From there, focus on the positive by reinforcing what right looks like by rewarding the teams who prevail while simultaneously cultivating leadership by enabling that leadership at all levels. It won't take long before the needs of the teams become more important than the wants or desires of individuals. In that fourth stage of team development is where the pinnacle of leadership resides. Then the sky is the limit.

Caution though. Be humble. Any squadron can be proud of its efforts, but it is a constant hill to climb with new members entering and seasoned teammates leaving every day. But because of thousands of Airmen across the force, including the few named above, our nation and its ideals will continue to prosper.

So, thank you Philpott, Sphar, Vorachack and the thousands out there you represent. Thank you for reminding us of standards, of dedication and of airmanship. Thank you for serving in something larger than yourselves.

Thank you for empowering me to be a better chief.