TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Surprised, humbled and appreciative are the three words that came to mind when the Air Force Civil Engineer Center’s Master Sgt. Jonathan “Adam” Quast was notified of his selection as the 2016 Master Blaster Award recipient recently.
Quast is AFCEC’s explosive ordnance disposal program manager.
“I was very surprised, but I am very appreciative and was humbled once I heard all the great people that were up for the award too,” Quast said.
The Master Blaster Award recognizes an outstanding Air Force active-duty EOD member for his or her achievements and contributions to the unit, base, command and U.S. Air Force EOD program.
“Outstanding win!” said Maj. David Troxell, AFCEC EOD division chief. “It is tough to compete with highly competitive peers in so many respects. When you're picking from a career field that selects the best and brightest already, selecting an award winner at this level is skimming from a very thin layer at the top.”
Initially the award was conceived by The EOD MasterBlasters, INC, a non-profit organization consisting of past and present members of the Air Force. However, this year the award is officially an Air Force-level award for active-duty Air Force EOD personnel.
“Officially recognizing this award at the Air Force-level, as opposed to an award from a private organization, is a testament to the magnitude of its importance,” Troxell said. “It sanctions the award to the same authority as other functional awards and legitimizes its equity with awards for Airmen in other career fields.”
For more than 15 years, Quast has been entrenched in the EOD career field. The most recent two-and-a-half years have been spent as program manager; assessing and acquiring equipment. It’s a role that is both challenging and rewarding, he said, and he credits the support of his AFCEC team for the success he’s been able to achieve.