New EPME instructor is AETC public health SNCO of the year

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Mavi Smith
  • The I.G. Brown Air National Guard Training and Education Center
A new service member at The I.G. Brown Air National Guard Training and Education Center received the 2009 Colonel Cleveland L. Parker Public Health award, senior noncommissioned officer (NCO) category, for Air Education and Training Command.

Master Sgt. Veronica L. Ross, a public health craftsman and one of 15 new Air Force personnel who recently reported for duty as enlisted professional military education instructors, received the award for her accomplishments while stationed at the aeromedical dental operations squadron at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.

The Colonel Cleveland L. Parker Public Health award is one of the annual Air Force medical service awards that recognize individuals and teams whose outstanding actions improve the delivery of health care and contribute to expeditionary medical operations for Air Force personnel worldwide. It acknowledges sustained superior job performance, innovative operations, and exceptional teamwork.

"I was really happy when I got this award," said Ross, who was the public health flight chief for her organization and supervised 12 Airmen.

"It's a great personal and professional accomplishment," she added. "I've always wanted to win this award. It's big in the public health career field, but at the same time I realized as a flight chief, it wasn't my work that did it. It was my Airmen and their dedication that enabled me to win."

Ross learned of her award after her arrival at the Training and Education Center. She said she was heartbroken that she wasn't able to share her achievement with her team, to personally tell them "thank you".

"I couldn't do it without those flight members," said Ross, "At this level, it's not really about me as an individual anymore... it's about the flight that I worked for. So I was really happy when I got this award because it justified what I knew they were capable of the entire time."

While the award is primarily based on leadership and job performance, Ross continued to defer her accomplishments to those of her Airmen.

Now she will get to take that leadership quality of developing Airmen into the Training and Education Center's classrooms as an NCO Academy instructor.

Already a qualified medical readiness instructor, Ross began teaching her first class on Jan. 5, with six Air Force and five Air National Guard students in F-flight of NCO Academy Class 10-3.

"The Training and Education Center is a new challenge and a new adventure I'm on," said Ross. "This is a dream job...morale is high, people are just so nice, and you can feel the professionalism. It's great to see that here."

Ross's Colonel Cleveland L. Parker award for Air Education and Training Command has been forwarded for competition at the Air Force level.