VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A 30th Force Support Squadron technical sergeant was recently named the Installation-level Force Support NCO of the Year at the Air Force level.
Tech. Sgt. Bryan Karason, 30th FSS NCOIC of career development, received the award for his outstanding performance and leadership.
"I'm still in shock, it’s a huge accomplishment," said Karason. "When it's put in perspective of top NCO for force support across the entire Air Force, yeah it blows my mind. It's very humbling."
Karason has just hit his two-year mark at Vandenberg with the 30th FSS. He is currently the installation Personnel Reliability Program monitor, a program which received an "Excellent" rating from the Air Force Space Command Inspector General, and the NCOIC of career development, one of three main elements of the Manpower and Personnel Flight.
"As personnelists, our focus is to provide assistance and support across the base and to advise Airmen on important career milestones and programs," explains Karason. "The main idea behind a support job is to ease a lot of that stress with the transitions in the Air Force in regards to PCS'ing, separating, retirement and retention. If our Airman have the capability to stay focused on the mission at hand and allow Vandenberg to keep exceeding all expectations, that's a clear indication that we know we have succeeded in our line of work."
His ability to manage his programs is what made his performance stand out to FSS leadership, according to Chief Master Sgt. Kelli Widner, 30th FSS superintendent.
"Bryan is willing to work in any area we need him in and when he does, he looks at the program in its entirety, reads the AFI and all associated guidance, and then improves the weak areas by implementing solutions that work for the customer as well as for the MPS staff. He has an innate ability to turn a program around when it needs some help."
In addition to his AF-level win for Force Support NCO of the Year, Karason was also recognized as the Team Vandenberg NCO of the Year for 2015. So to what does he owe his recent successes?
"Honestly - my focal point is the people and the mission," explains Karason. "But I feel if you're doing your job at your full potential and passionately believe in it, the sky is the limit in what you can accomplish."
Karason also acknowledges that it's not a solo effort that contributed to his achievements.
"Being recognized individually with regards to an Air Force level award is truly astonishing in its own right, but the assistance from other support agencies across the base as well as the teamwork from the men and women of Team Vandenberg truly should not go unnoticed.