Page 11 - Desert Lightning News, So. AZ Edition, July 7 2017

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Face of Defense: Mother, daughter reflect on Air Guard service
Story and photo by 2nd Lt. TINASHA MACHONA
161st Air Refueling Wing
GOLDWATER AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ariz. — Although set on different paths for military service, Air Force Master Sgt. Peggy Schmidt and Staff Sgt. Nichole Jordan of the Arizona Air National Guard’s 161st Air Refueling Wing have experienced a journey few Airmen can claim -- one characterized by dedication, tradition and ultimately, love.
she sets the bar for me to exceed,” said Jordan, who works as an aerospace medical technician with the wing’s medical group. She added that her mother sets a good example of airmanship and challenges her to always exceed expectations.
Service Before Self
Jordan said she joined the Arizona Air National
Air Force core value: Service before self.
“I can make a difference in this Air Force of ours, and being a ‘1 percenter,’ like many of my brothers and sisters in arms, is something to be proud of,”
she said.
Both Airmen serve full-time.
“I like the whole generation-effect thing that I
share with my mother on this base,” Jordan said. “At times I feel like her protégé, but that just motivates me to continue improving myself in my own way.”
Schmidt, a supply supervisor for the wing’s logis- tics readiness squadron, said she’s proud to serve
in uniform with her daughter.
“It’s a pleasure for me to work with Nichole,
because it puts a smile on my face knowing that my daughter is right across the street, and she is always there when I need her,” she said.
In addition to her supervisory duties, Schmidt is the squadron’s health monitor.
“I think Sergeant Jordan gets a lot of strong features from having a military mother,” said Air Force Master Sgt. June Nicholas, who works as a full-time health technician at the wing. “Staff Ser- geant Jordan is very ambitious, and she gets her leadership skills from her mother.”
Representing the Base
Schmidt said she also highly encourages her daughter’s participation on the base color guard
I am so proud of Nichole and the team,” she said. “That pride is for everyone on the team, because they represent the base so well, but I am particu- larly proud of my daughter for joining on her own.”
Schmidt, a 31-year veteran, was herself a member of the honor guard drill team when she attended Northern Arizona University. “I am extremely proud of my daughter,” she said. “I know eventu- ally I will be gone, and she will be setting her own pace, and then maybe she will have her own kids do the same thing.”
Jordan said she tells her mother how much she loves her and appreciates her support in what she does. “I love my mother with all my heart,” she said. “She is always there for me, and I would not have it any other way than to serve my country with my mother.”
ADS
Air Force Staff Sgt. Nichole Jordan, left, an aerospace medical tech- nician for the Arizona Air National Guard’s 161st Air Refueling Wing’s medical group, and Air Force Master Sgt. Peggy Schmidt, a supply supervisor for the wing’s logistics readiness squadron, pose in front of a 1947 F-84 Thunderjet static display at Goldwater Air National Guard Base.