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The Air Force recently recognized three members of the 1st Combat Communications Squadron as being the best in their career field during the high operations tempo of 2011.
Last summer’s Operation Odyssey Dawn and Operation Unified Protector gave the squadron’s outstanding technicians a chance to take their skills to the fight, where they proved they were more than matched for the task at hand.
Wing Chow, 1st CBCS, deployed to three countries in five weeks alongside uniformed Airmen to coordinate the activation of tactical communication sites for OOD/OUP. She is on her way to earning the Air Force’s Information Dominance Outstanding Civilian Award. Working in the NATO Combined Air and Space Operations Center, she played a vital role in providing C4 capabilities to all 23 countries involved.
“I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time … the men and women of our armed forces do amazing things everyday and it is an honor to work with them,” Chow said. “Any achievement I have made is only a reflection of a much larger team. I love what I do.”
Her duties at Ramstein prepared her for the challenges she faced. While in-garrison, Chow served as lead technical adviser for Airmen operating deployed networks in 18 other nations. Senior Airman Johnny Laster was one of those combat communications Airmen who spent time abroad, deploying to three countries in 2011. The Air Force named him Outstanding Client Systems Airman – the top 3D1X1 Airman in the cyber arsenal.
That title was earned in part by playing a vital role in providing communications capabilities to the flying, intelligence and medical communities during OOD/OUP. Laster’s skills and expertise while in-garrison were invaluable for ensuring equipment was not only ready to go out the door, but was fully upgraded, tested and advertised to those who may need to utilize the squadron’s capabilities.
Of course, none of the communications equipment would be useful without electricity, and so 1st CBCS is proud to have Tech. Sgt. Brian Kaufman as a section chief in the power production element of the squadron. The Air Force named Kaufman as an Air Force power professional leader for his efforts leading work centers that drove support to 15 nations in five COCOMs during the squadron’s highest operations tempo since the invasion of Iraq.
He served as the chief of a tactical communications mission that enabled nearly 10,000 strike sorties against Libya.
“I knew that if I was to fail, others could be hurt for my mistakes’” Kaufman said. “That meant everything I did needed to be done 110 percent. Many times, my leadership told me that whatever decision I made, they would stand behind. It was great knowing that.”
