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62nd APS Airman receives Spirit of Service Award

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jason Truskowski
  • 62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. --  Tech. Sgt. Christopher Javier, 62nd Aerial Port Squadron passenger service supervisor, was recently awarded "The American Legion's Spirit of Service Award for the state of Washington" at a ceremony in Yakima, Wash., July 19.

This award recognizes military members who excel in their performance on-duty, and who are also actively involved in their local community. Javier received this award for his exceptional military service throughout his 11-year Air Force career.

"I have always had good leadership and mentors and I am never afraid to go out there and get involved," said Javier. "The strong support of my leadership and peers has always pushed me to excel into that next level in my career."

Javier, a native of Millington, Tenn. has been a hard charger as far back as he can remember, excelling in high school sports and academics as a student at Granada Hills Charter School in Southern California. After the events of September 11, 2001 unfolded, Javier felt his family's military heritage calling him.

"At that point in time I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. My father and grandfather were in Navy, so I was looking at that path," said Javier. "I just wanted to get involved to do my part like my father and grandfather and 9/11 was my calling."

During the three years Javier was stationed at his first duty location, Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, he garnered four quarterly awards, an Airman of the Year award at the wing level, and was a Senior Airman Below-the-Zone recipient.

Later, he found himself stationed at Pope AFB, North Carolina, assigned to the 3rd APS, where he continued his award-winning trend by picking up two Noncommissioned Officer of the Quarter Awards.

It was after a 376-day deployment to Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan and Al Asad Air Base, Iraq in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom that he found himself with orders in-hand, headed to Maxwell AFB, Ala., where he was selected as 1 of 15 NCOs to be an instructor at the Air and Space Basic Course.

This course was part of an Air Force Chief of Staff initiative that created a common Airman experience for all commissioned officers.

During his three-year tenure as an instructor at Maxwell AFB he trained more than 6,600 company grade officers in various field tactics as well as co-authored the Air Force Combatives Program. These milestones helped earn him three NCO of the Quarter Awards and the Air University Noncommissioned Officer of the Year Award.

"I've never liked talking in front of people," said Javier. "Being urged and motivated to get out there and face what I was uncomfortable doing by my fellow instructors really changed things for my Air Force career."

In November of 2011, Javier and his wife moved to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. where he became the passenger service supervisor at the 62nd Aerial Port Squadron.

Since his assignment to McChord Field, Javier has spent countless hours helping Airmen and soldiers in need at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and residents in his local community through such programs as Habitat for Humanity, local food drives, and the Deployed Airmen Care Program, to name a few.

Chief Ordena Willis Jr., 62nd APS air terminal director, commented on Javier's recognition by saying, "We are extremely excited to have him represent the Air force and Washington state because he truly does personify the spirit of that award."