Page 4 - Luke AFB Thunderbolt 4-22-16

4 April 22, 2016 SPOTLIGHT Thunderbolt
www.aerotechnews.com/lukeaf b http://www.luke.af.mil

Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez Award recipient

Story and photo by Senior Airman
JAMES HENSLEY

56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

Retired Senior Master Sgt. Terry Nelson, 56th Equip- 7HUU\1HOVRQWK(TXLSPHQW0DLQWHQDQFH6TXDGURQDLUFUDIWDUPDPHQWV\VWHPVWHFKQLFLDQLQVSHFWVDQ)
ment Maintenance Squadron aircraft armament systems )LJKWLQJ)DOFRQDPPXQLWLRQGUXPDVVHPEO\$SULODW/XNH$LU)RUFH%DVH0DLQWHQDQFHLQVSHFWLRQVWUDFNWKH
technician, earned the 2015 Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez Award LQWHJULW\RIDUPDPHQWFRPSRQHQWVWRHQVXUHSDUWVDUHPLVVLRQUHDG\WRKHOSWUDLQWKHZRUOG¶VJUHDWHVW)
in the Munitions and Missile Maintenance civilian tech- DQG)ILJKWHUSLORWV
nician category.

This award distinguishes Nelson as the best of the best
among the Air Force’s munitions and missile maintenance
personnel.

Guided by 30 years of experience, Nelson earned this
award by supervising 36 F-16 gun system inspections and
leading 25 wing pylon upgrades. In addition, he enabled
68 guided bomb unit-38 joint direct attack munitions to
be expended while leading 458 inspections resulting in
the fleet’s 98.7 quality assurance pass rate.

“I’ve been here almost 10 years, and I’ve never failed
a quality assurance evaluation,” Nelson said. “I strive to
always do everything right the first time and to the best
of my ability.”

Nelson’s role in the mission ensures that when an F-16
pilot pulls the trigger, the weapons land on target.

“We maintain all the F-16 armament equipment in-
cluding the bomb racks, missile launchers, gun systems,
scheduled inspections, and all the troubleshooting and
repairs,” Nelson said. “Without us and without weapons,
Luke is just another airline.”

Nelson’s dedication to the mission made him eligible
for the award, but recognition of his dedication by his
supervisors is what made winning the award possible.

“I wish I had 30 Terry Nelsons,” said David Moore, 56th
EMS aircraft ordnance mechanics supervisor. “I chose him
because he deserves it. He’s very thorough, and he goes
above and beyond when working on equipment. He’s very
eager to train the Airmen, and his peers look up to him.”

Winning awards is great but it is not the most impor-
tant thing to Nelson.

“It’s an honor to be recognized,” Nelson said. “However,
quality is still the number one thing when it comes to
doing the job.”

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