Mobility Airman profile: Deployed McConnell NCO named ‘Rock Solid Warrior’

Published Dec. 6, 2011
By Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
Air Mobility Command Public Affairs

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- She's from Air Mobility Command's McConnell AFB, Kan., but Tech. Sgt. Tennille Benton's focus is to do her best at her deployed duties.

As the NCO in charge for the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing's protocol office at a non-disclosed base in Southwest Asia, Benton said in 386th AEW Public Affairs news report she directly supports combat operations "by enabling general officers and their civilian equivalents a smooth and coordinated travel between duty locations within the (deployed area of responsibility) and to and from the Continental United States.

"In executing the larger protocol mission, I allow distinguished visitors, whether visiting here or in transiting to their deployed duty stations, to continue to communicate, remain comfortable and secure while traveling," Benton said in the report. "I move easily between the staff environment, the flightline, DV quarters, different bases and the U.S. Embassy. I enable officers and their civilian equivalents from every service and theater to coordinate their efforts with minimal difficulty."

For doing her job well, Benton was named a "Rock Solid Warrior" by 386th AEW leadership in November 2011. Benton is serving on her fifth deployment, the report states, with this being her first deployment working in a protocol capacity.

At McConnell AFB, Benton is the NCO in charge of the fitness center and a services craftsman for the 22nd Force Support Squadron of the 22nd Air Refueling Wing.

According to her official Air Force job description, services Airmen like Benton manage and direct services programs, operations and retail operations. They supervise and work in appropriated fund food service and lodging activities, recreation, fitness and sports programs, linen exchange operations, mortuary affairs programs, honor guard teams, and services readiness programs.

In managing services operations, Airmen like Benton help improve work methods and procedures to ensure economic operation and customer satisfaction. They also resolve complaints, apply accounting principles to control resources, determine appropriated and non-appropriated fund budget requirements, and requisitions and accounts for subsistence, supplies and equipment needed to support services programs -- to name a few.

Furthermore, services Airmen like Benton also identify facility requirements and conduct surveys to determine facility renovation, construction and modernization needs, the job description states. They also establish and supervise bare-base facilities that provide food, fitness, lodging, sports management, recreation, laundry, mortuary services and field exchange operations to deployed personnel.

In performing their deployed duties, the job description shows services Airmen like Benton operate fixed, bare-base and portable food facilities and equipment. They plan, prepare and adjust menus and they determine resource availability, pricing and merchandise trends as well as carrying the ability to trains unit fitness monitors to conduct unit fitness evaluations.

In all the services functions, Benton has to maintain mandatory job knowledge in areas such as accounting procedures, management principles, merchandising, marketing, automated information systems, food service facility operations, subsistence management, requisition and issue procedures, menu planning and lodging operations, the job description states.

In the report, Benton described the difference between working at the fitness center at McConnell AFB and in protocol at her deployed location.

"At home station I am the NCO in charge of the fitness center," Benton said. "While doing protocol, the only similarity between the two is that it is still customer service-oriented -- just a completely different customer."

The 386th AEW has a "diverse mission which canvasses the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility," the wing's Web site states. "The 386th AEW is the primary aerial hub for Operation New Dawn and provides airlift support for Operation Enduring Freedom and the Horn of Africa. The wing is comprised of the 386th Expeditionary Maintenance, Mission Support, Medical and Operations Groups and the 387th and 586th Air Expeditionary Groups."

At McConnell AFB, the 22nd ARW is part of the 18th Air Force, a numbered Air Force within Air Mobility Command. The wing's mission "is to conduct air refueling and airlift operations supporting national objectives worldwide, in any condition or climate using the KC-135 Stratotanker," according to the base Web site. "The 22nd ARW has been and continues to be involved in a number of operations providing air refueling, humanitarian airlift and aeromedical evacuation missions around the globe."

(386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs contributed to this report.)