916th engineers continue to rack up awards

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Leticia Hopkins
  • 916th Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  An Airman from the 916th Civil Engineer Squadron brought home the Society of American Engineers Goddard Medal for the seventh time out of the last 12 years in January. 

Senior Master Sgt. Mark Stolar, 916th CES, was announced as the 2008 Goddard medal winner for the Air Force Reserve Command in December. 

The Goddard medal is an Air Force level award that is awarded annually to an enlisted member of the Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, said Chief Master Sgt. Jeff Jarvis, 916th Civil Engineer Flight manager. The medal recognizes outstanding contributions to military engineering, which includes military troop construction, base maintenance and contingency engineering. 

When talking about the 916th CES's success four reasons come to mind," Chief Jarvis said. 

"Number one is outstanding squadron enlisted leadership to include past leaders who set the bar high, led from the front, accepted no less than excellence, mentored their subordinates, drilled the importance of Prime Base Emergency Engineer Force training, and supported AFRC area of responsibility deployments," Chief Jarvis said. 

"Current leaders have continued the culture of excellence, enforced high standards, accepted nothing less than 110 percent and provided the strategic vision necessary to lead a squadron of hard chargers," Chief Jarvis added. 

The other three reasons include squadron leaders who placed importance on recognizing outstanding performers, superintendents and supervisors who took time to recognize their personnel and the quality of Airmen within the squadron who have committed to being an AFRC engineer, said Chief Jarvis, former Goddard medal recipient. 

Col. Harry Woodson, 916th Mission Support Group commander, agreed, "We are successful because the 916th CEF is focused on what I think is our true mission: to recruit, equip, train and retain citizen Airmen to perform our global taskings." 

In addition to having good leaders and being a good Airman themselves, previous medal recipients had experience in a deployed setting. 

"Competition is fierce, award winners are individuals who have been deployed supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom," Chief Jarvis said. 

One of the reasons that the 916th CES has been the home to several Goddard medal winners is because the 916th CES has been supporting AOR deployments since the mid-1990s, Chief Jarvis said. In 2008 alone, there were more than 50 CES personnel deployed to support Air Force, Army and Marine operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

"Our job is to support the combatant commanders," Chief Jarvis said. "Bottom line, civil engineers cannot win annual awards sitting at home station." 

Master Sgt. David Nickel, 916th Services Flight services manager, who was not a stranger to deployments when he was a CE member received the medal in 2001. 

"It meant a lot (to receive the Goddard medal), considering you're picked from entries from active duty, Air Guard and Air Force Reserve," Sergeant Nickel said. "Then going up to Washington D.C. to receive the award/medal was a big honor." 

Sergeant Nickel said he spent more than 30 days at Ali Al Salem, Iraq in a self-help store working to get supplies to help make the area more comfortable. He also helped to replace more than 100 tent flies as a member of a six-man team. 

Other past Goddard medal recipients from the 916th CES include: Chief Master Sgt Johnnie Bolen, Tech. Sgt. Laurie Stensland, Senior Master Sgt. Ronald Woodard and Master Sgt. Grady Raynor.

"Success builds on success," Colonel Woodson said. "You are only as good as the learning environment you create. The 916th CES builds on each previous year. They are truly disciplined: everyone knows what to do, how to do it and then does it."