Ferron named NCO of the Year Published Jan. 16, 2008 By Staff Sgt. Mark Orders-Woempner 434th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind., -- -- Recognized for his outstanding performance as NCO of the Year is Tech. Sgt. Kenneth Ferron II, 434th Military Personnel Flight Personnel Employment NCOIC. Of his many accomplishments, the ones that made Sergeant Ferron shine were accomplished while he was working full-time as an Air Reserve Technician in the role of 434th MPF chief of relocations. In this role, Sergeant Ferron said he managed the relocations of active-duty and prior service personnel who were transitioning to the U.S. Air Force Reserve. ARTs are federal employees in civilian status whose jobs are directly linked to their military role in the USAFR. Sergeant Ferron had to go before a board of first sergeants to compete against other top performers in Grissom's junior NCO core. And being a part of this process as an NCO is what Sergeant Ferron said made him proud and gave better perspective on being an NCO. "Integrity plays a big part in being a supervisor, especially when other NCOs look up to you," he said. "I feel very honored to have been nominated as an NCO to represent the wing at the 4th Air Force level. Recipients of Grissom's annual awards move on automatically to compete at the numbered Air Force level. If they win at the NAF, award winners move onto the command level and then on to Air Force level. The entire process whittles down the most stellar of Airman from around the world to come up with the top 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year. When it comes to winning such awards, Sergeant Ferron said all Airmen have to do, is perform their jobs to the best of their abilities. "It shows hard work does pay off," he said. "Continue to always follow the core values; that's what earns these awards." Sergeant Ferron, who started his military career on active-duty as a security forces Airman at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., now works for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Indianapolis.
