Maxwell NCO selected as top junior enlisted aide

  • Published
  • By Carl Bergquist
  • Air University Public Affairs
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. (AFPN) --  The Air University commander's aide here was presented the 2006 Air Force Junior Enlisted Aide of the Year award during a ceremony Oct. 12 at Bolling Air Force Base, D.C.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley and Gen. William R. Looney III, Air Education and Training Command commander, presented the award to Tech. Sgt. Gregory Krems.

The award is given annually to the enlisted aide who most distinguishes himself on the job. General Looney described the sergeant as, "the exact candidate this award was designed for."

"His performance makes us all look good," said Lt. Gen. Stephen Lorenz, Air University commander and Sergeant Krems' boss. "He is absolutely phenomenal at the job. He showed world-class effort when representing Maxwell-Gunter and Air University at 55 social events during the year."

Sergeant Krems said he "really enjoys" the job. His duties involve managing cuisine, landscaping, uniform preparations, household maintenance and contract oversight for General Lorenz's residence, the Curry House, as well as a variety of other requirements expected of an enlisted aide.

"When you have my job, you are truly a manager," Sergeant Krems said. "I don't do all the work myself, but must coordinate with others to get the job done. For example, I have to oversee all contract work on the Curry House because contractors cannot be in the residence when no one is home."

Sergeant Krems said he does the cooking for all official functions of 50 or fewer people, and has attended the Air Force's basic two-week culinary course at Randolph AFB, Texas. He soon will be attending a month-long advanced culinary course at Fort Lee, Va., where he will learn more sophisticated cooking and entertaining techniques, such as ice sculpting.

The sergeant said he works out of his office at the Curry House and spends much of his working day there. His attire is always civilian clothing, and working with General Lorenz and his wife putting events together is a "fantastic part" of his job. During his year as enlisted aide, he has brought members of the Alabama governor's staff to the Curry House to see his operation and has visited the governor's mansion to observe what they do.

Leslie Lorenz, General Lorenz's wife, said Sergeant Krems has a "great love" of cooking, and, although new to the enlisted aide career field, he "jumped in with both feet."

"He is very open to suggestions and learning how to do the job better and is a great addition to our team," she said. "Not everyone is cut out to be an enlisted aide, but Sergeant Krems is easy going, easy to work with and has a very nice family that is supportive of him and understanding of the demands his job places upon him."

Sergeant Krems said he spent the first four years of his Air Force career in Services, then retrained into the finance field. While stationed in Norway, he often helped the major general's enlisted aide, and that experience gave him a lot of insight into what the job entailed. When General Lorenz came to Air University and was selected for a third star, the general didn't have an enlisted aide, so Sergeant Krems applied for the job and was selected.

"I interviewed three people and picked him," General Lorenz said. "He is the outward face of AU to hundreds of people every day and does a great job of it."

The efforts of Sergeant Krems that resulted in his nomination for the award include his expert management of the Curry House, handling 55 high-visibility social events during the year, creating the first joint training program with the Alabama governor's staff and being a "chef extraordinaire." His planning of an evening event for more than 400 people during the National Security Forum and his abilities as an exceptional coordinator were also noted in the nomination package.

Sergeant Krems received his bachelor's degree in business administration from Touro University, earning a 3.92 grade point average and Summa Cum Laude honors, and is presently working on a master's degree in business. He is very involved with the local community, volunteering his time to coach youth baseball and cross-country running, and assisting elementary school children with science fairs and laboratory experiments.

"Greg absolutely sets the standard," General Lornez said. "I'm constantly amazed by him, as he does it all, smooth as silk."