Photo By Staff Sgt. Jeremy McGuffin | Tech. Sgt. Joshua Herrier, 714th Training Squadron C-130J Super Hercules subject...... read more read more
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Tech. Sgt. Joshua Herrier, 714th Training Squadron C-130J Super Hercules subject matter expert flight chief, recently received the Air Education and Training Command Enlisted Flying Instructor of the Year award.
Herrier was nominated for the major command-level award by his leadership within the training squadron who saw the hard work he put forth to ensure his students were successful.
“Herrier has a unique ability to teach his students the what, how and why,” said Lt. Col. Michael McKinney, 714th TRS commander. “He consistently exposes his students to not only solid fundamentals, but also great techniques they can put in their toolbox. The 714th TRS is extremely fortunate to have an individual like Herrier teaching our next generation of tactical airlifters.”
When Herrier first joined the Air Force, he was looking for a way to maintain a stable career seeing as the company he had previously worked at abruptly shut down. The necessity of stability led him to an Air Force recruiter where he soon learned about the many benefits of joining the military.
“I wanted to serve my country, of course, but I was thinking long-term,” Herrier said. “What job could I get where I could build a career and it would be stable, and that led me to the Air Force.”
Accepting a job as a loadmaster allowed Herrier to leave for basic military training soonest—so he did. Not long after, he left for BMT to start his career in the profession of arms.
As a young loadmaster, Herrier began traveling on the C-130J to many countries for temporary duty assignments and deployments.
“Initially, I loved flying in a big plane and traveling, but as my career progressed, that changed,” Herrier said. “After I was deployed, I started to better understand why my job was important. For example, aeromedical evacuation, and transporting injured service members really opened my eyes to the importance of the job and the impact we have on supporting others.”
For over a decade, Herrier completed missions as an operating C-130J loadmaster, but soon he was called to a different aspect of the Air Force — to train and groom the next generation of Air Force loadmasters.
Herrier came to realize that this would be yet another valuable opportunity in his Air Force career.
“I love instructing,” Herrier said. “When I see a lightbulb in a student’s eyes and it finally clicks because of something I said, I feel overjoyed.”
Not only does Herrier enjoy teaching students basic loadmaster procedures, he also appreciated being able to instill the importance of being technical experts and why following procedures during missions is critical.
“I know how important the job of a loadmaster is and how dangerous it can be,” Herrier said. “When it comes to instructing, it is my personal responsibility to do my best so that I can enable students to reach their full potential in direct support of our humanitarian and combat airlift missions.”
Herrier said he plans to continue his career within the training pipeline and recently accepted an instructor position to teach the initial loadmaster training course for enlisted personnel transitioning into their aviation career.
“Basically, everything I do revolves around my son,” Herrier said. “I volunteered for an instructor job that would be more stable for my son. My goal is just to start my new instructing job and be the best I can be as both a father and instructor.”
| Date Taken: | 08.28.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 08.28.2020 09:42 |
| Story ID: | 377002 |
| Location: | LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, AR, US |
| Web Views: | 24 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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