Airman Up! recognizes civil service

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Christopher Maldonado
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
Before accomplishing the mission overseas, service members stationed at Shaw Air Force Base need the proper gear to win battles.

One prior active-duty Airman has entered the civil service sector and continues to supply deploying members with the proper gear needed to win the fight.

Laura Jones, 20th Logistics Readiness Squadron logistics readiness technician, was nominated by her leadership for the Airman Up! award, which highlights her personal development as well as assistance to the Airmen of the unit.

Annually Jones assists approximately 3,000 deploying Airmen by issuing individual protective equipment, while providing over 100 weapons at the Chandler Deployment Processing Center.

Her job is to ensure the Airmen assigned to Shaw are ready to accomplish the mission overseas.

“As an Airman, I was an individual protective equipment gal,” said Jones. “And to come back and have the opportunity to support LRS as a civilian was a gift to me.”

Before becoming a 20th LRS weapons handler as a civil servant, she provided IPE to Airmen as an active-duty member.

“Coming back to the 20th LRS as a civilian was an ‘almost-easy’ transition,” said Jones. “The leadership, Airmen and civilians who I used to work with made it that much more enjoyable.”

She has committed more than 5 years to the weapons vault, where her work is constantly recognized by the personnel in her unit.

“She runs the whole vault by herself, really,” said Staff Sgt. Terrance Pinckney, 20th LRS IPE craftsman. “She is always ahead of her work, and with the manning that we have she is essential to what we do here at LRS.”

Whether it is working as an Airman or as a civilian, Laura Jones is ready to equip her fellow Airmen for any mission anytime, and anywhere.