Knowledge, Leadership, Service: AFCESA Members Win Prestigious Awards

  • Published
  • By John Burt
  • AFCESA
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, FLA. --  Major General Timothy A. Byers, the Air Force Civil Engineer, recently announced the winners of the 2010 Air Force Civil Engineer and Environmental Awards. Three Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency (AFCESA) members were recognized as award recipients. These award winners have distinguished themselves in Air Force Civil Engineering through their accomplishments, leadership, knowledge, and drive to succeed.
Senior Master Sergeant Mark M. Garvin is the winner of the Major General William D. Gilbert Award for Outstanding Staff Action Officer in the Enlisted Category. Sergeant Garvin, a career field manager and Water and Fuel System Maintenance specialist, has been described as the "bedrock of knowledge" and the Operations Division's "go to guy" on a variety of Civil Engineering challenges. He devised a course of action to address a contaminated water issue at Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, which avoided base shutdown. He also identified multiple discrepancies and improved the operational function on a $47 million dollar Basic Expeditionary Airfield Resource, or BEAR, contract saving over $90,000.
The 2010 Outstanding Civil Engineer Manager of the Year in the Air Reserve Component Officer Category is Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth Evans. Colonel Evans was the commander of the 557th Expeditionary Prime BEEF Squadron and has been described as a consummate leader and manager of personnel, resources, and projects. Colonel Evans streamlined civil engineering contingency training to eliminate 960,000 outdated training hours. He managed massive transport loads with 25 convoys over 3,200 miles delivering over 100 tons of materials. Colonel Evans also piloted efforts to modernize BEAR installations by incorporating renewable energy testing with an almost 50 percent reduction in power usage.
Dr. Daryl Hammond has been selected by the National Society of Professional Engineers as a Top Ten finalist for the Federal Engineer of The Year Award. Dr. Hammond is the Air Force Chief Electrical Engineer with more than 34 years of experience in the Air Force electrical field. As AFCESA's subject matter expert on electrical engineering, Dr. Hammond solved electrical system problems and spearheaded a $1.2 million design and construction project award at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. He identified deficiencies in a 69,000 volt reactor design for Thule Air Base in Greenland. His attention to these issues eliminated overvoltage and catastrophic distribution cable blowouts to a system which services the ballistic missile early warning site at Thule.

AFCESA's Senior Master Sergeant David Sosa was the runner-up for the Society of American Military Engineer's Major General Goddard Medal in the Active Duty Category and Staff Sergeant Joshua M. Chapman was runner-up for the Outstanding Civil Engineer Manager of the Year Award for the Air Reserve Component NCO Manager Category.

These awards were presented at the 49th Annual Civil Engineer Awards dinner "Excellence in Leadership" at the Bolling Air Force Base Officers' Club on February 24, 2011.