Maintainer named 434th ARW's top NCO

Published Feb. 27, 2013
By Senior Airman Jami K. Lancette
434th ARW Public Affairs

GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- Leadership, dedication, mentorship and a strong work ethic are just a few of the attributes that one Grissom noncommissioned officer has proven to excel in time and time again.

And for such excellence, both on and off duty, Tech Sgt. Zachary Chapin, 434th Maintenance Squadron jet engine mechanic, was named the 434th Air Refueling Wing NCO of the Year for 2012.

Chapin shared his gratitude for his award while giving credit to his leaders, mentors and supervisors, past and present, for teaching him and guiding him to where he is now.

"Not only is receiving the award such a great honor, but I have had a lot of good mentors and supervisors that took a chance on me and guided me to get where I am," said Chapin. "They took a chance on me, from a brand-new Airman working hands-on by myself for the first time, to later assigning me programs, and then to now having the trust in me to be a supervisor.

"Every step was important to getting me to where I am," he added. "And, if it wasn't for them I wouldn't be here now."

Described by his superiors as a tenacious vehicle control NCO, Chapin was responsible for 128 airfield drivers, 19 vehicles, 250 pieces of equipment and $12 million dollars worth of assets.

As part of that responsibility, Chapin designed six lesson plans and equipment recertification programs.

On top of that, he was lauded for initiating five quality deficiency reports that recovered more than $50,000 and saved over 100 hours in wasted labor.

Chapin said he gained a lot of experience while deployed, something he has done three times in his career.

He deployed twice as a flight chief to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, where he maintained an equipment in-commission rate of 98 percent, and once to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, where he optimized equipment support and readiness during Operation Olympic Titan.

In conjunction to his military service, Chapin dedicated his spare time to volunteering in his community.

Chapin is a prisoner of war and missing in action district representative as well as a membership historian for a veterans group in Galveston, Ind. He also mentors high school students in career and life development and is a youth group leader at a local school.

The 434th ARW is the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command. Airmen and aircraft from the 434th ARW routinely deploy around the world in support of the Air Force mission and U.S. strategic objectives.

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Maintainer named 434th ARW' top NCO

Maintainer named 434th ARW's top NCO

Public Affairs Staff