Klepinger named wing Senior NCO of the Year

Published April 30, 2012
By Tech. Sgt. Mark R. W. Orders-Woempner
434th ARW Public Affairs

GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- Leadership is something many seek but a trait far fewer possess.

However, leadership is not something new to Senior Master Sgt. Bradley Klepinger, who was recently named the 434th Air Refueling Wing Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year for 2011.

As the 434th Security Forces Squadron operations superintendent, Klepinger served as a full-time leader to a unit that was recently named by Air Force leadership as the best Air Force Reserve Command security forces unit.

"As the operations superintendent, he's the linchpin that keeps our base operating support side functioning and moving smoothly," said Maj. Christopher Witter, 434th SFS commander. "He brings it all together and makes sure that operationally we get the job done."

In his role, Klepinger is directly responsible for the protection of Grissom's 16 KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft valued at over $250 million as well as the base's 2,400 personnel.

On top of his daily duties, Klepinger helped plan a $3.2 million redesign of Grissom's security forces facility and wrote the operations order for Operation TINMAN, which enhanced security during the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

With all of the accomplishments listed above, Klepinger was a prime selection for the prestigious award, but Witter said those weren't his greatest achievements for the unit. In fact, it was his leadership abilities when the unit was missing both a commander and an operations officer that truly set the senior NCO apart from his peers.

"He functioned for the better part of a year as a commander and the operations officer, and he made sure that when I got here that there was a unit that was still functioning," explained Witter. "He did a lot of great things in the last year, but that was without a doubt the best thing he did for the unit.

"He knew he had to keep things going until the situation resolved itself," the major added. "He functioned way beyond his level of responsibility."

Klepinger didn't just garner the prestigious award for his operational leadership. His commitment to self-improvement and his community were also taken into account.

The senior NCO recently completed all of his requirements for his Community College of the Air Force degree and was heavily involved in his local community.

He volunteered with the Veterans of Foreign Wars to support their traveling war memorial, hosted a National Police Week event that educated over 300 students on the law enforcement community , and he coached a Rookie League baseball team, taking the team to a 2nd place season.

Klepinger's involvement and well-rounded leadership abilities are what Witter attributed to his success on and off duty.

"He's the whole package and he's good a teamwork," the major elaborated. "He's a dynamic, focused and motivated professional who's got all those skills you're looking for.

"He knows how to think strategy, knows how to think past the right now, and considers what the actions are going to be a day from now, a week from now, a month from now and a year from now," he added. "He's probably one of the best senior NCOS I know and have worked with."

The 434th ARW is the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command.

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Klepinger named Senior NCO of the Year

Klepinger named wing Senior NCO of the Year

Public Affairs Staff