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New Airman a model of Air Force Core Values

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Chuck Walker
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Oftentimes one can hear the Air Force Core Values recited so much that one can lose sight of their true meaning and what the Air Force's intention behind the values truly is.

Airman 1st Class Rachel Simmons, a maintenance analyst with the 436th Maintenance Operations Squadron, is doing her best to show what they mean by the way she lives at Dover Air Force Base, Del.

She has been in the Air Force for less than a year and at Dover AFB for less than three months, but she has already made her mark and made a positive impact on Team Dover by helping people in need as the Airman coordinator for the Airmen's Attic and stepping up to fill a void in personnel in her workplace.

Simmons was recognized for these by being awarded the Diamond Sharp award Sept. 5, by the Dover AFB First Sergeant's Association.

"It's about helping the people," Simmons said of why she volunteers her spare time at the Airmen's Attic. "I had rough time and a rough job before I came into the Air Force. I know what it is like to have nothing. In my family, my dad struggled to support five people on a check that was not large. You see people come in with kids and you just want to reach out and help them."

One recent event at the Airmen's Attic summed up Simmons' commitment to go above and beyond and to help another in need.

A family who had recently moved to the area from out of state came by the Airmen's Attic looking for different items. One of the rules of the Airmen's Attic is that one must be between the ranks of E-1 through E-5 in order to receive items. This particular family did not fit that criteria, but was obviously in need.

"After I explained the rules, she was visibly upset," Simmons said. "We let her take the items and she just broke down, just grateful to us for extending some help. So, I hugged and consoled her. I also gave her phone numbers for different places throughout the area, like the food bank and the Salvation Army that could potentially provide help."

Simmons, who is the daughter of a retired master sergeant, always dreamed of joining the Air Force. When she was a kid, she wanted to be a pilot. Instead, she is a graduate of the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design with a degree in photography, and an Airman.

After arriving at Dover AFB May 12, Simmons hit the ground running. She completed her Career Development Course's in five weeks, something that normally takes five-to-six months. She also scored an 83 percent on her upgrade training test; another high mark for her career field.

One person who has been impressed with Simmons is Tech. Sgt. Roger Dennison, assistant NCO in charge of maintenance analysis at the 436th MOS.

"She has adapted quickly to the job and developed her skills extremely quickly," Dennison said. "She showed extreme initiative in her upgrade training. Right after she got here we lost three people due to Permanent Change of Station or retraining, and it's been really helpful having her here."

Dennison was also impressed in how Simmons has gone above and beyond both on the job and in support of the base and local community.

"She personifies [the Air Force Core Values]," Dennison said of Simmons. "She is exactly what the Air Force is talking about when it speaks of the whole person concept. In all that she does, she shows extreme initiative."