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Persistence saves AF $20 million earns $1,000 for base civilian

  • Published
  • By Tim Rodenberger
  • 319th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  "It's just part of the job," is all Brad Schmitt could say when asked about saving the Air Force $20 million.

Mr. Schmitt, a wing document controller for the 319th Operations Group, checks and validates fuel consistency forms completed by boom operators. Through a tedious and time-consuming process, he cross-references and back-checks the forms to ensure the wing does not spend more than allocated.

After returning from vacation in February, Mr. Schmitt noticed large discrepancies in the numbers while trying to catch up. After carefully checking the numbers and doing some research over the phone, he discovered the discrepancies existed throughout Air Mobility Command, costing the Air Force more than an estimated $20 million.

He traced the source of the discrepancies to missing credits for fuel sold to outside parties, such as the U.S. Navy. An AMC system had failed to provide credits for fuel, resulting in a large fiscal loss taking away funds that could be used for critical projects. After an investigation, a small programming error consisting of one missing comma was corrected.

Schmitt later received an Air Force certificate of recognition and a $1,000 bonus despite his objections that he was "simply upholding the Air Force core value of excellence."