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340th EARS sergeant named top instructor boom operator … twice

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Tim Bazar
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  A technical sergeant stationed with the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron here was recently named the 2005 Air Mobility Command Outstanding Flying Instructor of the Year for his work as an instructor boom operator.

Tech. Sgt. Tom Ireland, deployed from Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., has been lauded by squadron and command leaders as the best in the business for the second year in a row. That’s right. He also won the equivalent award last year while assigned to Air Education and Training Command – the 2004 Instructor Boom Operator of the Year Award.

“Ever since I was a kid I wanted to fly,” said the technical sergeant. “I ended up with the best flying job in the Air Force.”

But Sergeant Ireland isn’t just flying the boom during midair refuelings; he teaches others to fly too.

While stationed at Altus Air Force Base, Okla., he was the best of 68 formal training unit boom operator instructors at the 97th Air Mobility Wing, according to his awards package. He was also the only staff sergeant out of 336 in the entire wing to be promoted to technical sergeant through the Stripes To Exceptional Performers program.

“Sergeant Ireland is one of the best boom operators in the business,” said Lt. Col. Patrick Sullivan, 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron commander. “He flies each mission as if it’s a checkride, and has developed a habit pattern of doing his job by the book and doing it in an excellent manner. His standard equals excellence.

“On his last five checkrides he’s earned five ‘Exceptionally Qualified’ ratings in a row, with seven EQs total. That’s unheard of in our community.”

Sergeant Ireland has logged more than 3,719 total refueling hours – 1,007.9 as an instructor and 262 as an evaluator. Moreover, nearly 350 of those hours were accumulated in combat and another 363.4 were in support of combat operations.

Refueling isn’t the only mission of a boom operator, said Sergeant Ireland. They also double as a loadmaster, passenger coordinator and jump master. But make no mistake, he said, “we’re boom operators first.”

“We’re probably the most-involved enlisted aircrew member in a flight crew, except for the flight engineer,” Sergeant Ireland said. “It’s quite a responsibility.”

Sergeant Ireland said boom operators are critical because during some missions planes couldn’t get back in the fight without having to come back to base every hour to refuel.

“Depending on the conditions, an F-15 may only be able to stay in the air an hour on a full tank,” he said. “So you can’t get lazy or complacent. That’s why boom operators stay in the books and maintain the things they learn in tech school. You’re the only one in the boom pod and no one is there to make sure you do it right.”

Although this is his second deployment here this year, Sergeant Ireland said he maintains focus on his job because he knows how important it is to refuel planes.

“There are (improvised explosive device) bombs going off all the time on the ground,” he said, “and all I can think about is getting fuel to the fighters and bombers so they can get down there and blow those guys away. I love my job.”