First Sergeants eligible for Special Duty Service Ribbon

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Abigail Klein
  • 931st Air Refueling Group Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  As an Air Force First Sergeant, wearing the "diamond" during your tour of duty was usually the only visible indicator of your past role in the lives of Airmen. 

This changed last month, however, as first sergeants were listed as being part of a special duty that is now eligible to apply for the Air Force Special Duty Ribbon.

In her announcement Sept. 4, 2014, Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James stated the ribbon was "designed to acknowledge the extraordinary commitment and dedication of present and future Airmen who served in an extremely difficult duty, or a duty that required an unusual degree of responsibility."

Often working as a conduit between the commander and enlisted Airmen, first sergeants regularly deal with both extremely difficult duties and a large amount of responsibility.

"It's a selfless job; you always need to put everyone else first." said Senior Master Sgt. Sheila Croninger, 931st Aeromedical Squadron Unit Training manager, and a former first sergeant.

Croninger remembers her time as a first sergeant from 2006 to 2012 as the best six years of her career, mainly because she liked helping people.  Like most first sergeants, Croninger regularly juggled the roles of disciplinarian, best friend and counselor to the Airmen in her unit.

The opportunity to have a visible and permanent display of these roles in the form of a decoration is significant, said Senior Master Sgt. Willie Tucker, 931st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron First Sergeant.

"This is unique in that it is the first [visible symbol] that says you did this," he said.  "Before, you could only see it on someone's service record."

Like Tucker, Croninger also appreciates the visible symbol of the new ribbon, and what it means for future first sergeants.

"This is good for our first sergeants because it is the type of decoration that you can keep on, and it also acknowledges that for a period of time, you made sacrifices."