TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --
Thirty-three Airmen and three Sailors graduated from
Tinker’s Airman Leadership School last week.
Graduates are:
129th Security Forces Squadron
Senior Airman Ricardo Cuellar, Academic Achievement Award
and Distinguished Graduate
146th Air Support Operations Squadron
Senior Airman Brandon Hobbs
185th Logistics Readiness Squadron
Senior Airman Steven Jackson
233rd Intelligence Squadron
Senior Airman Connor Sprague
302nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
Senior Airman Steven Remocras
349th Aerospace Medicine Squadron
Senior Airman Savannah Johnson
349th Maintenance Squadron
Senior Airman Shannon Hickman
349th Security Forces Squadron
Senior Airman Gnew Vang
507th Civil Engineer Squadron
Senior Airman Michael Bentley, Distinguished Graduate
552nd Air Control Group
Senior Airman Ashley Parker, Distinguished Graduate
552nd Air Control/Networks Squadron
Senior Airman Kevin Bibb
552nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
Senior Airman Corey Brookin
Senior Airman Catherine Peterman, Freedom Citation Award
Winner
Senior Airman Andrew Stephens
552nd Maintenance Group
Senior Airman Kyle Chambers
552nd Maintenance Squadron
Senior Airman Mario Marchetti
Senior Airman Nolan Tamayo
Senior Airman Christopher Nowell
552nd Training Squadron
Senior Airman Christian Padillaplaza
72nd Aerospace Medicine Squadron
Senior Airman Robert Daniels
72nd Force Support Squadron
Staff Sgt. James Selby, Leadership Award Winner
72nd Medical Operations Squadron
Senior Airman Samantha Johnson
72nd Security Forces Squadron
Staff Sgt. Michael Castilleja
Senior Airman Eric Servellon
Staff Sgt. Nicholas Simmons
Senior Airman James Stiegler
960th Airborne Air Control Squadron
Senior Airman Shelby Hill
963rd Airborne Air Control Squadron
Senior Airman Raechelle Lord, John L. Levitow Award Winner
964th Airborne Air Control Squadron
Senior Airman Andrew Cabrera
965th Airborne Air Control Squadron
Senior Airman Jason Beckman
Senior Airman Jenna Kester
966th Airborne Air Control Squadron
Senior Airman Brekka Dowd, Sharp Image Award Winner
Air Force Life Cycle Management
Center
Senior Airman Angel Keiser
Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron
THREE
Petty Officer 3rd Class Travis Rammelt
Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron
FOUR
Petty Officer 3rd Class Shawna Schulz
Strategic Communication Wing One
Petty Officer 3rd Class Russell Skyler
Winning Freedom Citation
essay
Written by Senior Airman Catherine Peterman, 552nd Aircraft
Maintenance Squadron
Freedom isn’t just a word to me… It’s a feeling. A
particular event comes to mind when I think of freedom. It’s morning time, I’m sitting
on the flight line waiting for the aircrew members to arrive at the jet. The
morning air is fresh, the sun is shining, and everything is quiet besides the
sound of other jets taking off in the background. It gives me chills every time
this happens. I stop and think of how I got to this moment in time and how my
life has changed since I enlisted in the Air Force over 4 years ago. It’s an
amazing feeling, and a feeling I’ve felt many times.
Now, let me fast forward to after the aircrew gets there,
and we accomplish getting the aircraft ready to fly. My fellow crew chiefs are
across the flight line from me now. One of them is speaking to the pilot over a
headset on the ground getting the final word to pull the chocks so they can
taxi out for takeoff. This is another moment that gives me chills. I am
standing there in a marshalling vest about to direct the aircraft out of its
spot. It feels surreal because I’m about to send a $360-million-dollar aircraft
off into the sky.
The final word is given, the chocks are pulled, and
moments later I am given the signal to marshal them from their spot. I direct
the aircraft from its position, and when I do this the engines throttle up,
making me smile — it’s a sound I love to hear. I salute the pilot, giving him
my respect and final promise that the aircraft is ready to fly.
They proceed to the runway and finally take off. It’s a
moment that’s exhilarating. I feel like time has stopped in its tracks because
I’m sending off an aircraft to do a mission, which makes me feel a real deep
sense of pride. It is a beautiful sight to see once it’s in the sky. Even
though my jet is old, I’m always amazed to see her fly. It’s a feeling I cannot
explain to others… I just sent off an aircraft of at least 20 people safely,
which for any person my age would be quite the accomplishment.
I feel so proud when I put on this uniform. It is the
little moments that make me feel like I’m important and accomplishing something
bigger than myself. Like the smell of the morning air, or the sun as it rises
and the sound of jets taking off in the background — the sound of freedom
ringing in my ears. More importantly, it’s that moment when I watch my aircraft
take off after working on it all morning…The sigh of relief I feel when it’s
safely in the sky, and an overwhelming sense of pride.
My idea of freedom and someone else’s of freedom may
differ from each other. The thing is, we all chose to put on this uniform every
single day — nobody made us do it. We all fight for freedom in different ways
and we all find joys in serving our countries from different aspects. I know I
speak for everyone in the Air Force when I say, every day is a new challenge
but a challenge worth fighting for.