Carmel boom operator completes NCOLDP Published March 21, 2007 By Senior Airman Mark Orders-Woempner 434th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- Air Force Reserve Staff Sgt. Deborah Melton recently graduated the Noncommissioned Officer Leadership Development Course here at Grissom. The NCOLDP is a 10-day course designed to give junior NCOs training in management and leadership. The NCOLDP consists of both civilian and military instructors who teach management skills and management theory. Students must also learn to problem solve by dealing with various problems with base programs and recommending solutions. Sergeant Melton, a Plainfield, Ind., native, is an in-flight refueling technician with the 74th Air Refueling Squadron and has been in the Air Force Reserve for six years. In her civilian life, she works as a business analyst for Conseco Companies in Carmel, Ind. She is the daughter of Alvin Melton of Greenwood Ind., and grand daughter of Lula Mitchell of Indianapolis. Sergeant Melton is also a graduate of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, where she earned her bachelor's of science. The 74th ARS is one of two flying units assigned to the 434th Air Refueling Wing. The mission of the 74th ARS is to train and provide KC-135R Stratotanker aircrew members in support of the Air Mobility Command and the aerial refueling mission. In a typical year, the squadron and its personnel will travel to numerous global destinations to carry out the air-refueling mission. As an in-flight refueling technician, Sergeant Melton is directly responsible for the operation of equipment in the KC-135R Stratotanker that connects the aircraft in-flight so fuel can be transferred. She is also trained as a loadmaster, ensuring that cargo carried in the aircraft is properly loaded, configured and secured for flight.
