Incirlik ‘shirts’ named USAFE-AFAFRICA First Sergeant Council of the Year Published Aug. 3, 2016 By Senior Airman John Nieves Camacho 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey -- First sergeants can usually be seen around their units observing quality of life, bolstering morale and getting to know their Airmen. It’s common to see first sergeants shine the spotlight on Airmen going above and beyond the standard. At Incirlik Air Base, the first sergeant council was recognized by Col. John Walker, 39th Air Base Wing commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Vegas Clark, 39th ABW command chief, July 22, for being selected as the U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa First Sergeant Council of the Year. “When I heard the Incirlik first sergeant council won the USAFE-AFAFRICA first sergeant council of year award I felt very happy for them,” said Clark. “They truly deserved to be recognized across the command. It is an honor and a privilege to get to work with them each day. I have never worked with a more capable and caring group of SNCOs in my career.” First sergeants, also known as “shirts,” are responsible for assisting their commander by maintaining the health, welfare and morale of all individuals assigned to their unit, while warding off issues that may adversely affect the unit. “We measure our success by solving Airmen’s problems,” said Master Sgt. Keval Smith, 728th Air Mobility Squadron first sergeant. “Colin Powell stated, ‘Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them.’ With all the things that we have going on, people are still coming to us. We are still impactful to the base and our mission hasn’t stopped.” The council said they feel the award is a testament of Incirlik’s dynamic mission directly supported by the Airmen here. “We feel very humbled with receiving the award,” said Master Sgt. Terry Jones, 39th Maintenance Squadron first sergeant. “There are many great first sergeant councils within the Air Force.” The shirts have been an active part of the mission. With their combined efforts, they’ve organized wing-level events, mentored Airmen and implemented and revamped base programs. Additionally, they led a dorm campus refresh, managed multiple charities and created a talk show on the American Forces Network Incirlik radio station that fielded and answered questions from Airmen around the wing. “First sergeants never rest until all of their Airmen are good to go,” said Clark. “People are their business; they are on call 24/7 and will run down answers so Airmen are well-informed on hot issues. Over the past year, this wing went through some extreme hardships and the first sergeants led the effort to calm the waters, ensuring Airmen and their families were well taken care of. This selfless compassion and understanding allowed our Airmen to continue to focus on executing the mission amidst the turbulent times in the southern Turkey region.” The council said they believe in mission first, people always. Their goal is to inspire, lead and nurture team excellence. In classic first sergeant fashion, they put the spotlight back on the Airmen. “Ultimately, we credit the success of our council to the men and women of the 39th Air Base Wing and tenant units here,” said Smith. “The chemistry in the council is very family oriented. We lean on each other for motivation, mentorship and most importantly friendship.” Jones, who is moving on to the next chapter of his career at Lackland Air Force Base, said this assignment was extremely gratifying. “With everything we’ve been going through here at Incirlik, including the voluntary and ordered departures, the Turkish military coup… the list goes on,” said Jones. “To be able to take care of Airmen through that has been awesome. This is the closest, tight-knit council I have ever been a part of.”