TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A first sergeant from the 660th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron was announced as one of Air Mobility Command's 12 Outstanding Airmen March 14.
Master Sgt. Terry Swartz will be honored at the command's Outstanding Airmen/First Sergeant of the Year Banquet April 5, where one Airman from each category will be selected to compete at the Air Force level.
"He's amazes me," said Maj. Craig Juneau, 660th AMXS commander. "He will step up and tackle the hard jobs that no one else wants to do. He is a leader and a great advisor who will be the first to give praise, but also the first to hold someone accountable for their actions."
As the first sergeant of the wing's third largest squadron, Sergeant Swartz is in charge of mentoring, motivating and handling any personnel issues of the more than 350 maintainers in the squadron. While this in itself takes an average of 13 or 14 hour days, Sergeant Swartz still finds time to do extra things both on base and in the community, including senior non commissioned officer induction ceremonies, quarterly awards banquets and the Veterans of Foreign Wars honor guard.
"It takes a lot of time," said Sergeant Swartz. "I couldn't do it without my wife and family who afford me the opportunity to work long hours to complete everything. They are very understanding and supportive."
Sergeant Swartz also deployed to Iraq as a first sergeant. He served as the first sergeant council president and was selected by his peers as first sergeant of the rotation during his 120-day deployment.
"I could really focus on the people and mission there," said Sergeant Swartz. "It was one of the most rewarding things I was able to do."
He also found time to participate in several community service projects during 2006 including Kids Understand Deployments, the Viking Challenge and the Relay for Life in Dixon.
"If it wasn't for Sergeant Swartz, KUDOS wouldn't have been the success it was this year," said Major Juneau. "When it looked like it was going to fall through, he stepped up as co-chair for the event which helped more than 350 kids and spouses understand what happens when family members deploy."
The theme for this year's banquet is, "Leading America's Premier Mobility Force into the Future." He will compete against two other nominees for the opportunity to represent AMC at the Air Force-level. Sergeant Swartz also won first sergeant of the year for the 60th Air Mobility Wing March 2.