Aircraft Fuels Systems Citations

Senior Airman Paul A. Walker distinguished himself by meritorious service while serving as Aircraft Fuel Systems Repair Journeyman, 437th Maintenance Squadron, 437th Maintenance group, Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina. During this period, Airman Walker's leadership, technical ability, and ceaseless efforts were instrumental in the success of the wing's demanding global mobility mission. He directed more than one hundred fuel system maintenance actions, contributing to the Fuel Systems Repair Section's 98 percent first-time fix rate. Additionally, Airman Walker skillfully led his section in the completion of Time Compliance Technical Order 1801 and repaired over 96 percent of the fleet in less than 90 days, preventing a potential major in-flight mishap. Further, he troubleshot a fuel jettison valve problem and quickly identified the fault and repaired the valve, facilitating 400 AOR flying missions while also saving the Air Force 87,000 dollars in replacement costs. Finally, Airman Walker helped prepare for a unit inspection and completed 38 checklist items and corrected 12 errors, which contributed to the 437th Airlift Wing receiving an excellent rating and the 437th Maintenance Group winning the Clements McMullen Daedalian Weapon System Maintenance Award. The distinctive accomplishments of Airman Walker reflect credit upon himself, the 437th Maintenance Squadron and the United States Air Force.

Staff Sergeant Jason W. Perdue distinguished himself by meritorious service while serving as Aircraft Fuel Systems Craftsman, 388th Component Maintenance Squadron, 388th Maintenance Group, Hill Air Force Base, Utah. During this period, Sergeant Perdue inspected and supervised the repair of 93 unserviceable external fuel tanks, resulting in an unprecedented 98 percent serviceability rate. Moreover, he managed the fuel section's workload on 16 aircraft phase inspections, guiding over 250 repairs, and ensuring system integrity of 400,000,000 dollars in Air Force assets. Additionally, Sergeant Perdue deployed to Balad Air Base, Iraq in support of OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM and expertly managed an urgent action Time Compliance Technical Order on F-16 block thirty wing attach fittings. He torqued eighty wing fittings in less than seven days preventing eight aircraft from grounding and directly contributing to 3,000 combat sorties. Furthermore, his expert maintenance skills were instrumental in isolating and repairing an elusive "Class D" grounding fuel leak. His efforts averted a costly aircraft wing change, saved over 450,000 dollars and prevented nine days of aircraft downtime. Finally, his management of the section's technical order account yielded zero findings during the Air Combat Command Logistics Standardization and Evaluation Team Inspection and was instrumental in the 388th Component Maintenance Squadron's "Outstanding" rating. The distinctive accomplishments of Sergeant Perdue reflect credit upon himself, the 388th Component Maintenance Squadron and the United States Air Force.

Senior Airman Paul k Shinseki distinguished himself by meritorious service while serving as Aircraft Fuel Systems Journeyman, 8th Maintenance Squadron, 8th Maintenance Group, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea. During this period, Senior Airman Shinseki displayed outstanding knowledge and technical skill when he identified a loose coupling on a heat exchanger and prevented an unnecessary heat exchanger replacement and saved the Air Force 14,000 dollars. Additionally, his attention to detail while performing eight 400-hour phase inspections, identified and repaired 47 fuel leaks leading to the Wolf Pack's impressive 7,445 sorties during Fiscal Year 2011. Finally, Senior Airman Shinseki demonstrated outstanding technical knowledge when he isolated a wing fuel leak to an interconnect seal which averted 24 hours of maintenance and enabled the 8th Fighter Wing to achieve an 85 percent mission capable rate during January 2011. The distinctive accomplishments of Senior Airman Shinseki reflect credit upon himself, the 8th Maintenance Squadron and the United States Air Force.

Staff Sergeant Gary B. Richard distinguished himself by meritorious service while serving as Fuels Hydrant Supervisor, 49th Logistics Readiness Squadron, 49th Mission Support Group, 49th Wing, Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. During this period, Sergeant Richard directed flight line operations and oversaw the safe delivery of 1.6 million gallons of JP-8 fuel to one thousand aircraft without a single mission delay due to fuel. Additionally, he maintained the Type V fuel hydrant system, overseeing 44 aircraft fuel bay systems worth over 47 million dollars. Moreover, he sustained the Wing's AVGAS program, transferring 6,000 gallons from drums to tanks to keep the Predator and Reaper aircraft sustainable. Furthermore, while deployed to Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, he issued over five million gallons of JP-8 to 975 aircraft, sustaining the Allied Forces Central Europe air-bridge. Finally, he led the Fuels flight corrosion control program, detailing the flight's 12 refuelers and saving the Air Force ten thousand dollars annually in maintenance costs. The distinctive accomplishments of Sergeant Richard reflect credit upon himself, the 49th Logistics Readiness Squadron and the United States Air Force.

Master Sergeant Duane E Selph distinguished himself by outstanding achievement as an Aircraft Fuel Systems Craftsman, 919th Maintenance Squadron, 919th Maintenenace Group, 919th Special Operations Wing, Eglin Auiliary Field 3, Florida. During this period, Sergeant Selph's dedicated performance and steadfast devotion to duty immeasarably contributed to the successful accomplishment of the unit's worldwide Special Operations mission. In addition, he deployed to Bagram Air Force Base, Afghanistan, and responded to a fuel leak on a Combat Talon II C-130 aircraft that was non mission capable for the previous seven days. His expert analysis identified the problem and returned the aircraft to fully mission capable status twelve hours ahead of schedule. Moreover, his duty performance under austere and demanding conditions resulted in the flawless execution of vital C-130 aircraft rotation to and from Bagram Air Force Base, contributing significantly to the United States' Global War on Terrorism. The distinctive accomplishments of Sergeant Selph reflect credit upon himself, the 919th Maintenance Squadron, and the United States Air Force.