TE member wins ANGRC civilian of the quarter

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Mavi Smith
  • The I.G. Brown Air National Guard Training and Education Center
McGHEE TYSON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Tenn. --  A member of The I.G. Brown Air National Guard Training and Education Center received the Air Directorate Civilian of the Quarter, Category III award for the Air National Guard Readiness Center during a ceremony held at Joint Base Andrews, Md., in which members of the Training and Education Center participated via video teleconference in Spruance Hall here, Jan. 21.

John T. Hawk, a training specialist and the advanced distributed learning team lead for the Transformative Education branch, received the award for his accomplishments from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2009.

The award recognizes members who have made significant contributions to the mission of the Air National Guard directorate and its associated units. Category III covers the civilian grades of GS-11 through GS-13.

"This is a great accomplishment," said Col. Richard B. Howard, commander of the Training and Education Center. "The competition is really astounding at the category III level. The competition to win this award are folks up there in Washington, D.C., the heartbeat of America...and John wins it. This shows that the heartbeat isn't just in D.C., John has proven it's also here in East Tennessee."

"I'm not really sure it's sunk in yet," said Hawk, when asked about his win. "Truly, as much as they announce an individual, I always believe it's a team award because there are so many people that helped me do what I was able to do."

Hawk's nomination package cited that he ensured the integrity of the Training and Education Center's advanced distributed learning program by leading nine web-based training courses, which saved the Department of Defense more than $500,000.

Among his many accomplishments, Hawk was the project lead for the Air Force's Nuclear Weapons Related Materials (NWRM) Fundamentals course. Working with subject matter experts he developed and delivered a cost-effective, interactive course that will be mandatory training for more than 10,000 Air Force logistics and maintenance personnel with NWRM duties and responsibilities.

"Mr. Hawk is dedicated to supporting the Guard and the total force," said Howard. "This was a huge project and his contributions are just wonderful and certainly stellar as recognized by this award."

Hawk was also the project lead for the Air National Guard Airman's Handbook, an Enlisted Field Advisory Council initiative. He ensured the accuracy, currency, and relevancy of 226 pages of data and published the product on the Air Force portal.

His efforts were praised by Chief Master Sgt. Chris Muncy, the command chief master sergeant of the Air National Guard, for the impact it will have on the enlisted force.

In addition to work-related contributions, this award also recognizes activities that promote equal employment opportunity and human relations principles.

Hawk, a hearing-impaired disabled veteran, was the Training and Education Center's representative for the 2009 National Disability Employment Awareness Month. In addition to promoting the program to staff, he also educated the local community by giving a presentation on "Educating Employees with Disabilities" to Oak Ridge Associated Universities in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Hawk has been recognized for outstanding performance numerous times during his career at the Training and Education Center. He has won the center's quarterly award four times and the Air Directorate level award two times. In 2004, he was named the Air Directorate Civilian of the Year for category III.

"I couldn't have done it alone," said Hawk. "I'm just really lucky to be surrounded by great people."