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SGT AH-64 Attack Helicopter Repairer
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if you read the article in full and divert your attention to where the program is being run out of and by whom then maybe you might change your mind a tad bit. I will say that no, it's not what you think
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SSgt Boyd Herrst
SSgt Boyd Herrst
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I can see where you are going with this Sgt.(VTS)... maybe if both of those sections worked together on the project ?.... I would go along with both those sections equally importing questions and decisions and imparting discourse into the matter.
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SSgt Boyd Herrst
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That would be most welcome!

Back when I was overseas in PACAF(AF pacific arena) I had tested for SSGT. and earned it first go around.. Performance Report points on top, TIS, TIG not so much so.. even with the short time in Reserves... They looked at my score and took into consideration other factors(mentoring my fellow Airmen, job knowledge: actual on the job skill.. not just food preparation but administrative knowledge of AF Food Svc forms, Regulations .. They’d mentioned in my APR (Airman Performance Report) my mentoring of even Senior Cooks to myself ..and how I was able to break them of some short-cuts that actually under-mined the food value(texture, appearance, reduction of vitamins the food offered).. Short-cuts are nice but when they undermine the offerings the food product gives and becomes just a stomach filler.. when a Airman(used in general, like soldier or seaman, regardless of rank) goes back to duty section, they will not perform as needed because all the food did was fill a spot.. minimal vitamins derived. They promoted another SGT. also .. fairly good worker, did his work.. Uniform maintenance(minimum at best/ this includes haircut and hygiene). We had a guideline that we had a backup uniform in our locker.. s’times accidents happen where s’body knocks into s’one carrying s’thing and product gets spllled..
Since he never had a back-up, we had to send him back to bks to get changed and come back.. it seems like it got timed that way frequently near the last hour of shift..
his quote; “it was so close to end of shift(45 to 30 min), I didn’t think I needed to come back!” Even if we only had 20 minutes left we could of had s’thing he could do.. all he did was load more on fellow workers to do.. so by having that extra uniform he could get changed in a few minutes(unless he got burned, injured)... he could do things fairly fast but was sloppy.. so the clean’g up from being sloppy wasted the time he got it done fast .. in the end he got the stripes
Because they needed one more minority to get promoted.. Even peers of his own
Ethnic group were not comfortable with his promotion.. they even felt he caused their own promotion to be devalued when he got promoted with minimal points.. on E’thing in his jacket.. It was kind of a shame only one person in his ethnic group congratulated him and it was s’body that was still a A1C.. even that one I thought to be shallow at best because I worked with(mentored) that Airman and I felt he was a much better worker performance wise, appearance in and out of uniform.
I will admit even I congratulated(shallow) him with not much enthusiasm.. just said congrats .. and went back to work, it was a de facto sitrep.. put on a facade.. I acted like I was in a hurry to get my work done and interrupted it momentarily to make the gesture.. I thought over what I did.. realized I was wrong.. maybe(?)... I went to him and said I would be there to help him to perfect his skill as a Cook.. “what you mean by that, I’m even faster than you ! “ he replied.. “only by a few minutes, and it’s lost because you are a sloppy cook all around.. the time you ‘think’ you save is wasted by cleaning up your mess !” “we always clean up at end of shift!”..: he replied ... “ What do those signs all around the kitchen and in your CDCs say every 3 or 4 pages... “CLEAN AS YOU GO!”... you make one mess over another ! I’m going to help you change how you work.. NO I’m not going to be your lackey and clean your mess for you !”
I didn’t yell, I tried keeping it between us two... I’d go over to his bungalow and get him.. look him over.. “didn’t you wear those yesterday ?” I asked of him.. “come on , you got 4 pair of Clean uniforms hanging In your locker.. pick one and get it on and bring one to put in your locker at work !”... Week by week I worked with him to slow a little bit and be neater about his work... he was getting there ! and we covered other areas mentioned way above-^... Other of our fellow NCOs asked me why was I taking an interest in helping him... I said look in your PME Book about what it said about helping fellow NCOs to be better... maybe not exactly in those words(read between the lines sometimes...). Too many just skim and don’t get the full meaning of the words, sentences, paragraphs.. they just pick out main words.. I skim too. Underline key items.. But I go back and find the heart of the messages in the book... I like to even read from leadership books for other services.. we all have a goal(s) and that’s to achieve completion of an assigned sit-rep/ mission. As there always is we have on-going sit-reps that never have an end..
Some can be completed and go back to them again, new sit-rep, different day.. that’s how it is in my Career field.. new menu item, different day.. maybe it was featured a few weeks ago? So how can I do this job in a better way? Better results.. S’times We got to tackle head-on .. So I’m trying to work with my fellow
NCO and teach them a better way that will benefit just me but all of us that have to work with him and see him day by day..
I caught up with him and he was headed to get his haircut.. oh boy, this will be fun !
We got there and I observed the cutting and the order they were going.. (I was watching the barber.. the first one done gets the next up.. there were only 2 barbers that day .. another Airman came in .. “SSGT. Joe, give this man your number ..”. “Say wha ?” “Give him your number !” So Joe swapped numbers..
That guy got the barber Joe would have gotten... my fave barber called Joes number... “number 47!” Sadeep called..
Joe got in the seat and joe described his cut... and Sadeep cut and cut and cut some more.. Got the rake and raked Joe’s cut and cut some more all around... sprayed it. And patted it .. all done ! Sadeep asked joe how he liked it... Joe freaked ..” My ‘fro is gone !” SSGT Joe exclaimed.. he got his own rake and worked it.. Sadeep had it cut down to within regulation.. even at it’s max height,
Joe’s cut Met AF standsrds(Sadeep was the Wing and Base Cmdrs fave barber.. and both barber’s were of Joes ethnicity..
Yep !... “I’m not paying ! Look what you do to my cut !” And he walked out.. I pulled out a 100 baht note and paid the barber.. (it was worth it!).... Joe went to the base contractor’s liason Office. .. The clerk just got out the AF regulation about 35-10 standards.. the barber completed his end of the contract.. the cut met AF
Standards... Joe lost!... Joe went out, he wasn’t finished... to the I.G’s office.. (who happens to be the deputy Base or Wing Cmdr. First thing the Cmdr said was ; “Nice haircut, SSGT.... what can we do for you today?” He asked. Joe was speechless “Oh I”... he excused himself and left. He knew it was a lost cause.. kept his hat on as much as he legally could... He said it was my fault getting him to switch barbers.. I got cooking better, better clean-up after his prep. Staying clean.. All that cologne did was hide the B.O... Noe had convinced a shop off-Base to carry it... the exchange would not for some reason... even if they tried ..
Joe would be gone before they got it in on the shelf... So Joe just had to scrub harder in those spots.. Besides hard to discern the smell of the food with the odor from the cologne in the air.. and several other NCOs in our section commented on that and were of the ethnicity Joe is.. Joe and them were not of the same school of hygiene nor age group.. Everything else about Joe... he was getting better.. others seen what I was trying to do and they begin contributing to helping him... and that’s what it’s about ... like Gunny even said;((but a twist on words) “ that’s excellent,
I might even let you be a Airman in my outfit !”.. So with the help of other NCOs I helped SSGT. Joe become a Squared away NCO.. but couldn’t have if Joe hadn’t tried to help himself.. I don’t know where or what became of him after the AF.. I hope he did s’thing constructive with himself...
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