KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --
The sun had just risen on Sept. 11 and members of the 403rd Maintenance Group were spread out in a row across the Keesler Air Force Base flight line. They were prepared to conduct a foreign object debris walk to collect anything that might pose a threat to the aircraft they work to keep in flight condition. Before they could begin, they were called together so Maj. Quinton Sasnett, 403rd Maintenance Squadron commander could recognize Staff Sgt. Christopher Simmons, 403rd Maintenance Squadron maintainer for an act of courage that Simmons executed April 30, 2014.
On that day Simmons was working as a field service technician for Pensacola Energy and was attached to a natural gas emergency response crew. As part of that crew Simmons was responsible for responding to calls received after major flooding in the area at that time. He was working on a routine utility call about 200 feet from the Escambia County Jail when the jail experienced a major explosion.
Simmons immediately ran into the front door of the building. He said that the thoughts running through his mind at that time were, “Just making sure everyone in the area was safe and preventing any secondary explosions.”
He said he moved debris and began looking for corrections officers so he could help bring them to safety and begin evacuating the rest of the facility. Then, he ran to the east side of the building and led a crew of three workers who located, dug up and capped the gas supply line to the building. After that threat was resolved, Simmons assisted emergency medical technicians and fire personnel with equipment transportation and evacuation.
At the end of the day, he had successfully helped prevent a secondary explosion and move more than 600 inmates and jail staff out of harm's way.
In the middle of the flight line, Sasnett pinned an Air Force Commendation Medal to the front of Simmon’s uniform in front of his leaders and wingmen. The Air Force Commendation Medal has been awarded since 1958 to Airmen who have performed distinctive meritorious achievement and service, acts of courage involving no voluntary risk of life, or sustained meritorious performance of duty.
Sasnett said that it’s important to show this kind of recognition to Airmen because, “They’re doing so many great things on a day to day basis, whether they’re in status or out of status. They are representing the Air Force and making things happen.”