ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- A member of the Mighty 97th earned the Air Education and Training Command Category One 2017 Civilian Non-Supervisor of the Year award.
Julio Cedillo, a vehicle maintenance and control assistant assigned to the 97th Logistics Readiness Squadron, earned this award as a result of his hard work and dedication to Altus AFB over the last year. Cedillo saved the wing millions of dollars, helped to safeguard the mission and acquired vehicle assets for the KC-46 Pegasus all while mentoring Airmen and volunteering.
Innovation is an important part of maximizing force agility, lethality, learning effectiveness and efficiency, all of which are done through teamwork and collaboration. Cedillo is contributing to the Air Force’s innovation mission by finding a more efficient way to speed up the fueling process for the fire trucks at Clinton-Sherman Airfield.
This particular airfield is where three Texoma air bases, Altus, Sheppard and Vance, all conduct aircraft training sequences called ‘touch‘n go’s’. Fire trucks are required to be at the airfield in case of an emergency during training operations. However, Cedillo noticed the fire truck refueling process was not practical and posed risks.
“They were sending one of our fuel trucks 16 miles to the airfield to fuel the fire trucks,” said Cedillo. “We only have two of those trucks; one’s diesel, one’s regular. I’m like, ‘Why are we doing that? We are running a risk running the fuel truck up to Clinton-Sherman Airfield.’”
Cedillo did some research and found a fuel pump in Burns Flat, a town a mile from the airfield. After coordination, Cedillo issued a fuel card to the Altus AFB fire department, allowing the trucks to refuel from the approved pump and thus eliminating the need for Altus AFB fuel trucks to make the trip to the airfield.
“That way they don’t need to wait for us to get there to refuel and they don’t need to put the mission on hold for safety reasons,” said Cedillo.
Cedillo’s innovative ideas aren’t the only reason he won the award.
“Cedillo is the most knowledgeable civilian person we have in our flight,” said U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Hector Perez-Ramos, a vehicle management flight commander assigned to the 97th LRS. “He is the go-to person for leadership and Airmen, and an irreplaceable member of our team. He’s constantly mentoring the NCO’s and Airmen we have in this section. He steps out of his comfort zone and his job description to aid in management operations and is always willing to help.”
Cedillo’s job isn’t done when he gets home. He also volunteers his time to helping the Altus High School band.
“When my daughter joined the band freshman year, she said that they needed some volunteers and I told her to sign me up.” Said Cedillo. “They needed drivers for the road games. Everything was a minimum of two hours away. I helped deliver and offload the equipment, do fundraisers and am on the committee. I stay involved with them and help out whenever I can.”
Ultimately, Cedillo attributes the win to his team.
“This wasn’t all me. It’s never me or I,” said Cedillo. “There were other people involved in this [win]; Airmen, NCO’s and leadership. I don’t just look at this as an award for me. I look at it as an award for the office.”
As Altus prepares for the KC-46, its leaders like Cedillo who set the standard for hard work, innovation and community engagement.