KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- The 403rd Wing held its biannual commander’s call at the Roberts Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Facility auditorium March 3.
Col. John Benson, 403rd Wing commander, recognized the wing’s top performers and stressed the importance of training and readiness so Reserve Citizen Airmen are prepared to deploy at a moment’s notice. He also spoke about the latest plans for reshaping the Air Force, which include four main categories: Developing People, Generate Readiness, Project Power, and Develop Capabilities.
“We’ve had deployers leave and return since I started here at the 403rd, and they were ready, mobilized and gone within days of notification,” said Benson. “Each member being ready is important for accomplishing the mission and these short turnaround times show the capability of the 403rd. It shows that we, as a wing, are already working hard to reflect these plans.”
The event opened with the presentation of awards.
The first recognition was for the Air Force Reserve Command Lt. Gen. Howard W. Leaf Award, Civilian Category IIB, to Devon Burton, 403rd Wing Inspector General of Inspections director. This award recognizes outstanding enlisted, officer, and civilians who go above and beyond the completion of day-to-day mission requirements.
The commander then recognized the Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2023:
Airman of the Year: Senior Airman Roy Johnson, 403rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
Non-commissioned Officer of the Year: Tech. Sgt. Cody Gill, 403rd Security Forces Squadron
Senior Non-commissioned Officer of the Year: Master Sgt. Stefanie Elder, 403rd Wing Staff Agencies
First Sergeant of the Year: Master Sgt. Jared Bryant, 403rd Force Support Squadron
Company Grade Officer of the Year: Capt. Rachel Taylor, 41st Aerial Port Squadron
Field Grade Officer of the Year: Maj. Kurt Mann, 803rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
Civilian Category I of the Year: Heather Shaw, 403rd WSA
Civilian Category II of the Year: Russell Kober, 403rd Maintenance Group
The quarterly award winners were also recognized.
First Quarter Award recipients:
Airman of the Quarter: Senior Airman Adrianna Nettles, 403rd Aeromedical Staging Squadron
Non-commissioned Officer of the Quarter: Tech. Sgt. Benjamin Provan, 403rd Operations Group
Senior Non-commissioned Officer of the Quarter: Master Sgt. Victoria Lott, 403rd AMXS
Company Grade Officer of the Quarter: Capt. Zachary Underwood, 403rd Operations Group
Field Grade Officer of the Quarter: Lt. Col. Sabrina Hawkins, 403rd WSA
Civilian Category I of the Quarter: Heather Shaw, 403rd WSA
Civilian Category II of the Quarter: Russell Kober, 403rd MXG
Second Quarter Award recipients:
Airman of the Quarter: Senior Airman Tatiana Barr, 12th Operational Weather Flight
Non-commissioned Officer of the Quarter: Staff Sgt. Rachel Caywood, 12th OWF
Senior Non-commissioned Officer of the Quarter: Master Sgt. Stefanie Elder, 403rd WSA
Company Grade Officer of the Quarter: Capt. William Garey, 815th Airlift Squadron
Field Grade Officer of the Quarter: Lt. Col. Devon Burton, 403rd WSA
Civilian Category II of the Quarter: Christopher Deans, 403rd Operations Support Squadron
Third Quarter Award recipients:
Airman of the Quarter: Senior Airman Gabriel Bosarge, 815th AS
Non-commissioned Officer of the Quarter: Staff Sgt. Colby Bellais, 403rd AMXS
Senior Non-commissioned Officer of the Quarter: Master Sgt. Brandon Reichert, 803rd AMXS
Company Grade Officer of the Quarter: Capt. Jennie White, 403rd OSS
Civilian Category I of the Quarter: Jesse Tibo, 403rd OSS
Fourth Quarter Award recipients:
Airman of the Quarter: Senior Airman Zachary Schank, 403rd AMXS
Non-commissioned Officer of the Quarter: Tech. Sgt. Michael Sielke-Meade, 403rd Communications Flight
Senior Non-commissioned Officer of the Quarter: Senior Master Sgt. Jonathan Parker, 815th AS
Field Grade Officer of the Quarter: Maj. Michael Plash, 815th AS
Civilian Category I of the Quarter: Heather Shaw, 403rd WSA
Civilian Category II of the Quarter: Stacey Huffman, 403rd WSA
After the recognition portion of the event, speakers from the offices of the Inspector General of Inspections, Operations Security, Wing Safety, and Psychological Health Program. They educated Airmen about the readiness exercise in June, on operations security measures to prevent sensitive information from getting into the hands of an adversary, safety requirements for utility task vehicles, and the available helping resources for Airmen, to include the latest update on the Brandon Act to improve the process for service members seeking mental health support.
"In life we face many challenges, and I want you all to know you are not alone,” said Chief Master Sgt. David Jackson, 403rd Wing command chief. “We appreciate you and what you do for our wing. The leadership team is always fighting for you; we are here to fight for resources, for training and equipment, and the personnel that you need. We will continue to up channel the issues you face.”
He concluded his comments with a charge to the wing.
“Take advantage of your time here, such as the training, professional development and educational opportunities,” he said. “And … continue to support and raise the standards of professionalism; and raise the profile of who we are at the 403rd Wing so we can let the world, 22nd Air Force and Air Force Reserve Command know we are the Wing of Choice.”
Col. Shawn Mattingly, 403rd Wing deputy commander, thanked Airmen for the progress made with the Air Force Inspection System and since the Unit Effectiveness Inspection in 2022.
“Our members put in a lot of hard work over the past two years to improve processes and that work is reflected in how disciplined we are in creating a compliant, disciplined, and lean organization,” said Mattingly. “I know that when this year’s UEI is complete, we can be proud of what this wing accomplished.”
This was Mattingly’s last Unit Training Assembly with the wing. He thanked the Airmen for their support of the mission and their service. The incoming wing deputy commander, Lt. Col. Jaret Fish, starts this month. His previous assignment was with the 954th Reserve Support Squadron, Joint Transportation Reserve Unit, United States Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Mattingly’s next assignment is as the commander of that unit.
Benson thanked Mattingly for his service and his care of Airmen during his tenure here, before concluding the commander’s call.
“We are in tough times, a very fiscally constrained environment and we are all fighting for resources, so let me know what your challenges are because I work for you so we can ensure we are ready to support our deployers and our combatant commanders,” he said. “I’m in awe of you and your accomplishments making us the premiere unit in 22nd Air Force.”