Senior Airman Dominic Garcia, Altus AFB award winner!

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Cherice Bryant
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
8/10/2010 --  ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla.--Senior Airman Dominic Garcia is the recipient of the Airmen of the Quarter for the second quarter of 2010 at Altus Air Force Base.

"I credit my award to hard work and dedication.  I love my job and I always want to do the best I can and make a positive impact for both my career field as well as my unit and base," said Airman Garcia.

Airman Garcia's primary duty title is 97th Civil Engineering Squadron training manager for emergency management. Airman Garcia, a lead instructor and vital player within his squadron, implemented wing readiness support team training and updated six emergency management training packages and 13 emergency management binders in order to help other instructors to teach the program. He guided 66 Disaster Response Force personnel on new Air Force requirements which made it possible for the primary responders to be 100 percent trained. By taking the initiative to perform all of these duties he has helped to make the wing programs response ready.

"I would want people to know that being selfless and working hard will always pay off. Sometimes you don't see the benefits right away and sometimes it gets stressful or frustrating but if you keep doing what's right eventually all that stress and frustration will help build you into a better individual and eventually you will see a reward even if it's not always tangible," said Airman Garcia.

In addition, according to the nomination for award, Airman Garcia has made significant self-improvements by completing 16 hours of federal emergency management agency incident command courses. He has also enrolled in an Air Education and Training Command foreign language course where he studied the Persian language of Farsi.

His base and community involvement includes coaching a youth basket ball team, where he taught teamwork and sportsmanship skills, and volunteered 48 hours toward a youth mentorship program.

In addition to being stationed at Altus Air Force Base, Airman Garcia has had assignments at Lackland AFB, Texas, and Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. His hometown is Commerce City, Colo., where he still has family.