AROUND TINKER: Wildcatters honored by 72nd ABW commander Published April 29, 2016 By 72nd Air Base Wing TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- A team and two individuals were recently recognized by Col. Stephanie Wilson, 72nd Air Base Wing commander, with Wildcatter Awards. The 72nd Comptroller Squadron Travel Team is made up of multiple individuals throughout the Comptroller Squadron that support Team Tinker's $18.8 million travel requirements. Tinker's Lead Defense Travel Administrators are known across the base for their outstanding help desk support. The team supports 62 DTS organizations, 105 travel administrators and more than 12,000 travelers. They ensure travelers and administrators are kept up to date and in compliance with the ever changing travel policies and procedures, in addition to validating permission levels, auditing vouchers and conducting staff assistance visits. Their superb management of the compliance tool resulted in collection of $25,000 in erroneous or duplicate travel expenses and was lauded by SAF/FM DTA as one of the best in the Air Force. The team has received multiple letters of appreciation and was coined by the LCMC E3 program office for their outstanding support of their short notice international travel requirements. The travel team goes above and beyond supporting deployed warfighters, certifying 625 deployment orders totaling $825,000 and ensuring partial payments were scheduled to avoid overdue GTCs. Furthermore, they've briefed more than 600 returning deployers on entitlements and assisted them with filing their travel vouchers so they can promptly begin their R&R. The travel team also approved all deployment vouchers and ensured members were paid $1.05 million in per diem. Tinker military members can rest assured that they are receiving what they are due and nothing more as the team validated 60 reports ensuring that travelers received the correct travel entitlements (Hostile Fire/Imminent Danger Pay, Family Separation Allowance, Combat Zone Tax Exclusion, etc.). The team's efforts have ensured Tinker is on the flight path to financial improvement and audit readiness. Team members are: Brenda Williams Kathy Bailey Michael Graham Kelly Saxon Shelly Lohan Louis Lesniak Connie Crum Amanda Netwon Tommie Watson Diane Bevers Marty Crofts Master Sgt. Stephanie Fontenot Senior Airman Jordan Gutierrez-Lamas Airman 1st Class Pamela Yim Senior Airman Daniel Farlow Senior Airman Darius Lester Senior Airman Eric Patterson Emanuel Smith, with the 72nd Logistics Readiness Squadron, has performed his duties as a traffic management specialist since February 2015. During this time he has interacted one-on-one with the Air Force Sustainment Center, 72nd Air Base Wing and 72nd Mission Support Group commanders, squadron commanders/directors and all LRS personnel. He epitomizes the "Wildcatter" spirit by leading, encouraging, and mentoring those around him to persevere in the face of any challenges, find appropriate solutions to any problem and, above all, to remain positive. Mr. Smith was instrumental in the development of the Personal Property Office's Walk the Wall, the first ever in an ABW and a critical component of the Highly Effective rating during the 2015 UEI. He continues to be a driving force on its "Road to Setting the DOD Standard" as its establishment and processes directly contributes to the 72nd LRS/MSG/ABW's "Art of the Possible." Mr. Smith is the handpicked representative of the LGRDF as it establishes its message throughout the Tinker AFB community and the nine counties in Central Oklahoma it makes up. As its customer outreach champion, Mr. Smith has been responsible for reaching 1,382 individuals: active duty and retired military members and their families, Department of Defense civilians and ROTC cadets from the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University. He has given them counsel on their entitlements as they embark from the Tinker community. He is also responsible for ensuring the accuracy of Personally Procured Moves and allowing for the validated the dispersal of $968,900 in 2015. Senior Airman Matthew McKenna, 72nd Security Forces Squadron, has been a ticket clerk for the 72nd Reports and Analysis Section for the past four months. During this period he revamped the DD FM 1408 ticket program, creating a new PDF form for tracking and converting the current process into a more efficient, synergized flow saving the S5R section 64 manpower hours annually. Airman McKenna processed 604 DD Form 1408's, 153 DD Form 1805s and six ticket rebuttal requests ensuring swift actions are taken for traffic infractions. He also used his master skill in carpentry and built a shelving unit for the Resource and Logistics section, enabling their ability to properly store and account for high value equipment items. Additionally, he built a customer service area for the Reports and Analysis section, saving the unit more than $4,800 by self-helping the two projects. As a consummate leader, he sets the example for other Airmen by completing six credit hours toward his Bachelor of Science Degree in Entrepreneurship. If that were not enough, he is also involved in his local community and serves as a positive role model, educating and mentoring four-year-old children as a Sunday school teacher at his local church. Lastly, he is the squadron's "go-to" Airman, always motivated and determined to excel his professional and personal goals and puts forth 110 percent effort in all tasks at hand.