Selfridge senior NCO, Detroit native, manages lodging operations for Southwest Asia Wing

Photo By Master Sgt. Jenifer Calhoun | Master Sgt. Brian Ward Sr. is the superintendent of lodging for the 380th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing at a non-disclosed base in Southwest Asia. Here he is pictured, May 10. He is deployed from the 127th Force Support Squadron at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., and his hometown is Detroit, Mich.  

(UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)

05.12.2010

Story by Senior Airman Jenifer Calhoun 

380th Air Expeditionary Wing

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- When new personnel deploy to the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing at a non-disclosed base here, Master Sgt. Brian Ward Sr. and his team are responsible for providing Airmen with their new "home away from."

Ward is the superintendent of lodging for the 380th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron. He is deployed from the 127th Force Support Squadron at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., and his hometown is Detroit, Mich. At his deployed location, Sergeant Ward and the lodging team track and support the billeting needs for more than 1,900 personnel.

"I manage a team of four Airmen and oversee lodging accommodation for the entire base, ensuring that work orders are submitted and as a team provide 100 percent accountability of personnel per room," Ward said. "We make sure that each person on this base has a roof over their heads, beds to sleep in and a hot shower. This helps maintain morale and quality of life so the mission can continue."

In addition to leading lodging operations, Ward is a nine-skill-level services Airman -- a services superintendent. In the 380th EFSS, services support programs range a myriad of areas and Sergeant Ward has to be ready to support any one of them. According to his official Air Force job description, services Airmen like Ward manage and direct services programs, operations and retail operations. They supervise and work in appropriated fund food service and lodging activities, recreation, fitness and sports programs, linen exchange operations, mortuary affairs programs, honor guard teams, and services readiness programs.

In managing services operations, Airmen like Ward help improve work methods and procedures to ensure economic operation and customer satisfaction. They also resolve complaints, apply accounting principles to control resources, determine appropriated and non-appropriated fund budget requirements, and requisitions and accounts for subsistence, supplies and equipment needed to support services programs -- to name a few.

Furthermore, services Airmen like Ward also identify facility requirements and conduct surveys to determine facility renovation, construction and modernization needs, the job description states. They also establish and supervise bare-base facilities that provide food, fitness, lodging, sports management, recreation, laundry, mortuary services and field exchange operations to deployed personnel.

In performing their deployed duties, the job description shows services Airmen like Ward operate fixed, bare-base and portable food facilities and equipment. They plans, prepare and adjust menus and they determine resource availability, pricing and merchandise trends as well as carrying the ability to trains unit fitness monitors to conduct unit fitness evaluations.

In all the services functions, Ward has to maintain mandatory job knowledge in areas such as accounting procedures, management principles, merchandising, marketing, automated information systems, food service facility operations, subsistence management, requisition and issue procedures, menu planning and lodging operations, the job description states.

Ward said he enjoys serving in the military and in the Air National Guard. In whatever capacity he serves, he said he knows it is very important and is a highly honorable thing to do.

"The reason I serve is because freedom comes with a price," Ward said. "I enjoy my freedom and I want my great-grandchildren to have the same freedoms that I enjoy. My grandfather, my father, my uncles, my brothers and my wife and son all served in the military. The military is my family."

The 380th EFSS is a sub-unit of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing. The wing is home to the KC-10 Extender, U-2 Dragon Lady, E-3 Sentry and RQ-4 Global Hawk aircraft. The wing is comprised of four groups and 12 squadrons and the wing's deployed mission includes air refueling, surveillance and reconnaissance in support of overseas contingency operations in Southwest Asia. The 380th AEW supports operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.

• Date Taken: 05.12.2010
• Date Posted: 05.12.2010 01:18
• Story ID: 49512
• Location: (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)