KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Master Sgt. Tammy Campbell, 403rd Aeromedical Staging Squadron chief of health service management, and guests celebrated her 36 years of service at a retirement ceremony here, during the November Unit Training Assembly.
The ASTS has a dual mission. One is performing routine medical exams, drawing blood for testing, administering immunizations or processing forms brought in by Reserve Citizen Airmen from their civilian providers. The other mission while in a deployed environment is ensuring patients are ready for transport. Once patients are stabilized at an emergency medical facility, or hospital, they are transported to the Aeromedical Evacuation and Staging facility, where medical personnel stage them in preparation for airlift out of the theater.
Campbell started her Air Force career in 1984 as a transportation specialist at K.I. Sawyer AFB, Michigan.
In 1990 she joined the 403rd Consolidated Maintenance Squadron as the group career advisor. And after attaining four different Air Force Specialty Codes, she retires as a Senior Air Reserve Technician with the ASTS.
“I have spent 30 years here with the (403rd) Wing and I have seen many changes throughout my career,” said Campbell. “The Air Force has done a great job moving in the right direction in regards to diversity and empowering women, I am happy to see how far we have come as a service.”
She explained of times ‘back when’ Airmen were allowed to smoke in and around the office, discipline was different and consideration of others was a personal choice not necessarily culture driven. She said she is happy that the culture has shifted and it shows when units are cohesive and promoting comradery. Throughout her career she said that she hoped that she could pass on her knowledge and expertise onto the next generation of Airmen.
“Being an ART has been a challenging, but very rewarding career,” said Campbell. “Challenging because only six percent of the staff are full-timers and we service a wing of approximately 1,400 people. Rewarding because I have seen my troops who are now techs, masters and seniors (noncommissioned officers) grow, mature, and continue passing on the knowledge and experience that I’ve tried to instill in them.”
One of those troops being Tech. Sgt. Elysia Rodriguez, 403rd ASTS flight chief of medical readiness. Having worked with Campbell for 14 years, Rodriguez said that Campbell was always busy, but found the time to help anyone who needed it, she was both caring and confident in her people.
“She is a very knowledgeable and experienced person, having history in different AFSCs, she was always willing to help out, because she has been through it all,” said Rodriguez. “She’s probably one of the most caring individuals I have ever met. She would check up on you and ask questions about how you were doing. She would get down on the level of knowing your people and I really appreciated that from her.”
Rodriguez said that Campbell is a very family-oriented person and believes that she did a great job balancing and managing family and work obligations while helping others.
Trisha Casey, Campbell’s daughter, said that she remembers a time when her mother was the sole provider for the household and although there were challenging times, she would put the needs of others before herself.
“My mother is a good natured person and she has always gone above and beyond for anyone that needed help,” said Casey. “She taught me a lot growing up such as what was right and wrong and being the driving force for me being independent.
Casey also said that her mother is the type of person to lead by example and was not afraid to put talk into action.
“Among the several supervisors that I have had throughout my career, (Master) Sgt. Campbell knows on a personal level how to lead, teach, and guide people,” said Rodriguez. “She was always super helpful and always put people before herself. I am sad to see her go, not only as a supervisor, but as a friend as well.”
Campbell said that she has enjoyed her career and all of the people that she was able to know and befriend through the military.
“I have people all over the world that, had I not joined, I would have never known,” said Campbell. “I have had a lot of great mentors throughout my career that have had a positive effect on my life, and I hope that I have been able to pass on that mentorship to my folks.”
For the future, she said that she looks forward to building her new home and a trip to the Bahamas.
“I am so happy that she is retiring,” said Casey. “I am extremely proud of her and very happy to have her to ourselves. She has worked hard and deserves a great retirement.”