Patrick NCO earns AF top CE manager award

  • Published
  • By Chris Calkins
  • 45th Space Wing Public Affairs
PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) --  For Senior Master Sgt. Terry Wooldridge, being nominated for the 45th Space Wing-level award was surreal in itself.

But his emotions didn't stop there. They were just warming up.

After winning here at the Wing level, he was next declared the winner of the Air Force Space Command Award, and then later was told he was the recipient of the "Air Force's Outstanding Civil Engineer Manager of the Year" award.

That's as high as an Airman can go.

"My feelings went from surreal to unreal," said Wooldridge, who was raised mostly in Virginia, but graduated from nearby St. Cloud High School in 1996. "It's very cool, and I am incredibly humbled to be honored like this."

Wooldridge, a reservist assigned to the Fire Department, joined the Air Force directly after high school, and has served 16-plus years, including six years on active duty at the beginning of his military career.

In his civilian position, he works as a full-time civilian firefighter, and works out of "Station 74," located in downtown Melbourne.

His direct Air Force supervisor said Wooldridge is someone his entire unit can look up to in tough times and count on to do what needs to be done all the time.

"Senior Master Sgt. Wooldridge is a textbook example of what I'm looking for in an Individual Mobilization Augmentee," said Mark Palm, 45th Space Wing Fire Chief.

"He brings a wide breadth of civilian and military firefighting experience and seamlessly integrates into Patrick's Fire Emergency Services Flight," he said.

Not only that, said the chief, he has stepped up his efforts once again in his current duties.

"Terry is not afraid to tackle the big jobs and is currently serving as the fire emergency services flight accreditation manager," he said.

"In this capacity, he's guiding the flight through a rigorous one year process of gaining national recognition from the Commission on Fire Service Accreditation International," he said.

For his part, Wooldridge said the relationship he has with members of the wing present a win-win situation for everyone.

"Our senior leadership, both here at the Fire Department and within our CE Squadron, takes a common-sense approach that allows me - and others - the opportunities to make a difference," Wooldridge said. "I just try to take advantages of these opportunities."