Award winner attributes accomplishments to team effort

Published March 16, 2009
By Staff Sgt. Tammie Moore
52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office

SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- The Air Force has determined that one Saber maintainer stands above his peers. The Air Force has named a 52nd Equipment Maintenance Squadron senior master sergeant as the 2008 Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year.

"I am very proud, honored and humbled to have the chance to represent the Air Force as the Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez Award winner," said Senior Master Sgt. Charles Miller, 52nd EMS flight chief. "This is a very prestigious award to receive. When I sit down and think about it, it really grounds me."

The award, created in honor of retired General Marquez, recognizes outstanding maintainers who have demonstrated the highest degree of sustained job performance, job efficiency and results, job knowledge, and direct sortie generation involvement.

"I am very honored to have my name mentioned in the same sentence as General Marquez, much less for winning an award in his name," Sergeant Miller said. "This award is the trademark of numerous hours of hard work successfully completed by the men, woman and civilian contractors at the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, 9th Air Force and the 52nd Fighter Wing. In my mind, the combined accomplishments of these people in four geographically separated locations is the reason I won this award. I wish I could personally shake each of their hands and thank them for their outstanding contribution to GWOT, our Air Force and the U.S. It is truly remarkable what these men, women and civilians do day in and day out to make the mission successful. They are the real award winners."

Sergeant Miller filled many roles during 2008. He was the 52nd EMS flight chief, the 332nd Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron assistant maintenance superintendent and the 52nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron assistant maintenance superintendent. In these roles he was able to assist his units with a number of accomplishments ranging from saving the Air Force more than $8 million with an F-16 substainment plan, to supporting the largest air strike since 2003 in Operation Phantom Phoenix. The work he said he is the most proud of was his role in increasing the number of MQ-1, Predators, bed down at Balad.

"The reason I am so proud of that is because it means increased surveillance for Army troops on the ground," he said. "I knew what I was doing had a direct impact on the ground forces, it made them safer. To me, that probably had the biggest impact because all of Iraq is covered by the Predator."

Maj. Kelley Stevens, 52nd EMS commander, has worked closely with Sergeant Miller at homestation and while the two were deployed to Joint Base Balad, Iraq.

"Sergeant Miller is an outstanding SNCO, maintainer and professional Airman," she said. "He is always looking for ways to make his organization better. There is no job Sergeant Miller will not tackle and turn into a success."

Major Stevens said the confidence she has in Sergeant Miller's abilities makes her job easier.

"EMS is very fortunate to have Sergeant Miller in our squadron," she said. "The welfare of his Airmen is very important to him and he sacrifices his personal interest for the greater good of his flight and squadron.

"I can't deny that it's exciting to have the opportunity and honor to work with an Air Force-level award winner; it is the first time in my career," she said. "It takes teamwork to win such a prestigious award. Though Sergeant Miller has accomplished a great deal individually, he is well aware that it is also represents the teamwork and hard-work exhibited by his flight, the squadron and the maintenance group everyday."

The work other people have attributed toward this accomplishment is something Sergeant Miller is incredibly grateful for.

"This award is a compilation of numerous hours of hard work every shop contributed to this award," he said. "There is not one single air force specialty code that did not contribute to this award. In this business, you have to be mentally, physically and spiritually fit. If any piece falls out, you can't work at 100 percent. We need people to work at 100 percent every single day in every single situation. That is where all of these other shops come in. There are so many people who have a hand in this and that is what is so remarkable about this whole thing.

"The things you see in my award package, all of it comes from me working with those people," Sergeant Miller said. "They made it happen. This is the combined accomplishments of all of these people. They are without a doubt why I won this award."

Sergeant Miller will travel to Washington D. C., in May to be presented this award.