Engineer remembered in Academy award Published Aug. 14, 2006 By Maj. Cecilie Bredehoeft 434th Civil Engineer Squadron GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind -- A mentor has been defined as someone who is a wise and trusted counselor, and it is mentors who lead the way for the future of the Air Force and the entire world. One such mentor, trusted by many to lead and guide them, was Master Sgt. Charles Jones, 434th Civil Engineering Squadron, who passed away in April of this year. Due to the dedication to mentoring displayed by Sergeant Jones, a mentorship award was named after him recently. The Sergeant Jones Top Mentor Award, presented by the Air Force Academy's Field Engineering and Readiness Laboratory, recognizes NCOs who have helped cadets learn a variety of engineering and construction skills. Sergeant Jones, along with several other 434th CES members, worked with Air Force Academy cadets during five-week courses held at the Academy's FERL. The course is for all civil and environmental engineering majors. "Each summer, we depend on a few dozen NCO 'mentors' to help us by working hand-in-hand with cadets to each them a variety of engineering and construction skills," said Dr. James Pocock, assistant professor, Dean of the Faculty's civil engineer office. Students from both the Academy and Reserve Officer Training Corps programs around the country attend the course and are mentored by the group of NCOs participating in the program. The mentorship award is given at the course graduation to a select mentor in recognition of their sacrifice of time and gifts knowledge that help make civil engineer officers better. "We'll make sure we make the new Sergeant Jones Top Mentor Award a meaningful part of the FERL graduation," Dr. Pocock said. With the new award named after Sergeant Jones, his mentorship will continue to influence Air Force officers for years to come.
