Courtesy Photo | U.S. Air Force Staff. Sgt. Chandler Hamilton and Airmen from the 801st Expeditionary...... read more read more
Subscribe
A deployment is any movement from a military service member's home station to somewhere outside the continental U.S. and its territories. Throughout an Airman’s time in the military, they can be deployed to various locations and support numerous missions. Staff Sgt. Chandler Hamilton joined the Air Force in June 2017 and recently deployed for the first time in his career.
“I was quite nervous,” said Hamilton. “But I was also really excited. My friends and I never deployed before, so we had no idea what to expect.”
In 2022, U.S. Air Force Staff. Sgt. Hamilton, 731st Munitions Squadron shipping and receiving crew chief, deployed to the Middle East for six months.
“The work that we did there was tiring but extremely rewarding. We were always busy, and it felt like I was making a difference.”
Eventually, Hamilton and his team would be rotated out and spend the rest of their deployment as reserved manpower. At first, the change was a welcome one. They went from tallying ammunitions with a dead sharpie in the middle of the night to Wi-Fi and a full working gym. However, while he was grateful for the niceties, he could not help but feel guilty about leaving the rest of the crew.
“I know the guys back at [the forward location] were working their tails off,” said Hamilton. At [the forward location], everybody took initiative.”
At the new location, Hamilton’s workload decreased. To combat the temptation of becoming lazy and unproductive, Hamilton and his friend decided to volunteer for everything they could do to keep themselves busy.
“We wanted to stick out as the hardest working Airmen in our group,” said Hamilton. “If any volunteer opportunities came in, we were the first to step up. Everything from moving dirt from one spot to another and transporting vehicles to vehicle maintenance, we were always tag-teaming it.”
One time, recalled Hamilton, it was late and the hottest it had been since he arrived. The flies were swarming while he and his wingman were building sidewalks out of AM-2 matting around the compound. It was hard and grueling work. They were putting together a section in front of the 801st Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron chief’s office and he came out to see what was going on.
“We explained to him what we were doing and why,” said Hamilton. “He gave a little chuckle and went back into his office. I didn’t give it a second thought after that.”
A few days later, Hamilton’s flight chief stopped by his workstation and told him that the chief wanted Hamilton and his wingman to be awarded the Air and Space Achievement Medal for the high amount of self-initiated volunteer hours they put in.
“At first, I didn’t think I deserved it,” said Hamilton. “All I did was do some volunteer work. But because Chief saw me and my wingman do that work, it caused him to dig deeper into our previous accomplishments.”
Over the course of the deployment, Hamilton assisted the Air Forces Central Command Global Ammunition Control Point missile maintenance operations where he inspected, tested, repositioned and repaired 14 precision guided munitions.
“Even though I won the award,” said Hamilton. “Nothing would have changed. I love doing my job the best I can. I don’t do anything for the award. The decoration is just a bonus. If I went my entire career without winning anything, I would be just as accomplished than if I won a thousand. I know the work I do is good, and that’s what drives me to excellence.”
| Date Taken: | 05.01.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 05.01.2024 03:15 |
| Story ID: | 469938 |
| Location: | AVIANO AIR BASE, IT |
| Web Views: | 23 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Bored into Greatness, by A1C Zachary Jakel, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT