Tinker OSI agents set their standards high Published July 3, 2008 By Danielle Gregory Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE -- Two agents from the Tinker Air Force Base Office of Special Investigations were recently honored. Special Agent Robert Lawler was named Agent of the Year for Region One, which equivalent to Air Force Materiel Command and Special Agent Amber Nichols received the Region One Reserve Officer Agent of the Year. Special Agent Robert Lawler Knowledge and experience are sometimes the best ingredients for excellence. Excellence is something that the agents of the Office of Special Investigations Detachment 114 are very familiar with. One particular agent, Special Agent Robert Lawler,who has been with the OSI for approximately three years, has proved his commitment and passion for his career in OSI. "I was in the Security Forces career field and I had the opportunity to work with OSI on different occasions while deployed to Iraq. The impact that OSI had on the battlefield was astonishing," said Agent Lawler. "The criminal investigations mission of OSI also appealed to me because I have always wanted to be in law enforcement. Becoming an OSI agent has allowed me to become a federal agent and stay active in the military." Agent Lawler said he was honored to receive an award of this magnitude. "It is great to be recognized for all the hard work that I did. I was placed in positions that normally wouldn't be held by someone at my stage in my career but my leadership recognized I was fully capable," said Agent Lawler. Agent Lawler also said that credit is also due to his fellow OSI agents and support personnel at Detachment 114. He explained that one agent can't do everything and his detachment is one the best in the command. Agent Lawler is motivated by knowing that 24 / 7, anything can happen. He mentioned that unfortunately, when something does happen, there is usually a victim who is deeply affected by someone else's actions. He said that being able to give resolution to that victim makes the long hours worthwhile. "For me, as far as obstacles, 2007 was a tough year. I was deployed to Afghanistan for six months and then came back to be the acting superintendent. Manning and experience at the detachment took a hit due to deployments and reassignments but we all pulled together and worked some tough cases," said Lawler. Agent Lawler enjoys OSI because he says agents are given the latitude to make independent decisions and to be free thinkers. He is assigned a case and given the freedom to run it the way he wants to. The agents are constantly encouraged to think outside the box and to be aggressive. He is also ready to deploy again if he is needed. "I would like to deploy again. There is no better mission for an OSI agent than in a deployed environment. OSI is doing amazing things to protect personnel and neutralize threats that 99 percent of the Air Force doesn't know about," said Lawler. Special Agent Amber Nichols Having only joined the Det. 114 team a year ago, Special Agent Amber Nichols has achieved a goal many agents only hope for. "I was thankful about receiving the award. It's always nice when someone recognizes the hard work and sacrifices you put into something and then puts the time in themselves to submit you for recognition," said Agent Nichols. Agent Nichols joined OSI in 2006; she trained from Oct. 2006 through March 2007 to become an agent. She was then a Det. 114 Agent for Tinker from April 2007 through the rest of 2007 and became a reservist. Before joining OSI, Nichols was an active Security Forces member here from 2004-2006. "I decided to join because I have always been a seeker of truth and research minded. In addition, I have always had a love for justice and for helping people. It just seemed like a natural progression," Agent Nichols said. Agent Nichols also said she has wanted to work in OSI since she learned about their mission. She discovered OSI while on active duty and worked with them when she was in Security Forces. "Something that motivates me on the job day to day is that I love my country and I love its military. Seeing people or the Air Force taken advantage of or wronged motivates me to do everything within my power to help them receive some form of justice," said Ms. Nichols. "For me in general as far as motivation is God--I answer to a higher power and I have an amazingly supportive group of close friends." Agent Nichols said she overcame several obstacles as a new agent, such as being a reservist. Fulfilling reservist duties, being on orders nine months out of the year, she doesn't often get to do OSI full-time. "I try to take advantage of any opportunity to learn and experience while the opportunity is there and I'm available," said Agent Nichols. She enjoys OSI because of the caliber of people she gets to work with and the law enforcement community camaraderie. She also enjoys catching people who think they are smarter than the system. Agent Nichols continues to push forward, having the goal of doing the best she can with the time she has while assigned to OSI. She is currently TDY as the acting OSI Detachment Commander at Buckley AFB, Colo.