Photo By Staff Sgt. Cody Miller | U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ryan Pottmeyer, 325th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew...... read more read more
Subscribe
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --
Being an excellent leader and NCO can be a demanding task for many, but this difficulty is only multiplied when you are away from your home station.
Technical Sgt. Ryan Pottmeyer, a 325th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron dedicated crew chief, was recognized as a top performer within the squadron. He shined as both a leader to his troops and an expert aircraft maintainer while supporting the squadron’s TDY to Nellis AFB for the air combat readiness exercise, Red Flag 17-3.
“He truly is one of our most badass Airman on the flightline,” said Chief Master Sgt. John Nicholas, 325th AMXS 95th Aircraft Maintenance Unit superintendent. “His hard work, mentorship and motivation is a definite asset to the team.”
Red Flag is an exercise aimed at maximizing the combat readiness and survivability of participants by providing a realistic training environment and a pre-flight and post-flight training forum, none of which would be possible without maintenance professionals like Pottmeyer.
“I’m mainly here to support the aircraft and keep them in good repair, so that the aircrew can get the training they require,” said Pottmeyer. “This exercise is a great way for us to pick out the weak links in our processes before we deploy and do real-world taskings. It’s a really cool feeling being a part of the process that makes sure our Airmen are ready to go down-range when they need to.”
Pottmeyer said that once he’s back at home station, his main goal is to take everything he learned at red flag and teach the younger Airmen that didn’t attend.
“One of my main priorities is mentorship,” Pottmeyer said. “Because of the experience we gain here, we can teach our guys how to operate under more limited resources and infrastructure.”
Originally from Tennessee, Pottmeyer joined the Air Force at the age of 20, because he wanted to be a part of something more and try new things. Since being in, he said his main goal is the mentorship of his troops and facilitating their growth.
“My favorite part about being in the Air Force is seeing new generations of Airmen come in,” Pottmeyer said. “Working with these guys that are wide-eyed and ready to learn and seeing their work improve from day one is an amazing experience. It re-motivates me and pushes me to try and work just as hard for them as they do for me.”
When not working on the Air Force’s premier air dominance fighter, the F-22 Raptor, Pottmeyer said he enjoys hobbies that allow him to be at piece such as woodworking and fishing.
“The Air Force has definitely taught me patience in life,” Pottmeyer said. “This has allowed me to get into things I used to normally never do. I’ve grown an appreciation for nature and I think once I finish my time I may try and look into being a park ranger.”
Pottmeyer said overall he has enjoyed experiencing everything the Air Force has to offer.
“I may have joined for new experiences, but what has kept me in all these years are the awesome people I’m surrounded by,” said Pottmeyer. “Everyone is amazing and they understand that the mission demand may never go away, but it’s worth it. It’s a lot of long hours and extreme conditions, but we’re all a team and a part of something bigger than ourselves. I would encourage any new Airman that has just joined to immerse yourself in the teamwork and family of the Air Force.”
| Date Taken: | 08.01.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 08.01.2017 17:12 |
| Story ID: | 243351 |
| Location: | LAS VEGAS, NV, US |
| Web Views: | 514 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Tyndall Airman essential to job well done at Red Flag 17-3, by SSgt Cody Miller, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT