Airman becomes the voice of Beale at Capitol Hill

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Taylor A. Workman
  • 9th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs
BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Senior Airman Terron Matthews, 9th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron U-2 assistant dedicated crew chief, accompanied Col. Douglas Lee, 9th Reconnaissance Wing commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Randy Kwiatkowski, 9th RW command chief, on their annual visit to Capitol Hill, April 16, 2015.

Matthews was nominated by his chain of command to represent Team Beale. He was selected after impressing wing leadership during interviews to provide congressmen and senators unfiltered access to a Beale Airman, according to Kwiatkowski.

"I wasn't expecting to be the spokesman for Beale," Matthews said. "My leadership saw something in me I didn't even see in myself.

"I was just doing my everyday job and working really hard trying to help others that needed a mentor, trying to boost their production mentality from a peer's perspective. I have my Team Beale leadership to thank for seeing my potential and giving me the opportunity of a lifetime."

The Norfolk, Virginia native and his family were also able to spend time together during the trip.

"When the wing commander met my mom, he told her that I was the face of the Air Force, and she broke down in tears," Matthews said. "Now my family and friends truly know that this uniform I wear represents the whole instead of the individual."

Reliving the experience, Matthews found it hard to put into words just how much he cherished the opportunity to voice how the decisions made at Capitol Hill trickle down to the junior enlisted tier.

"The leaders at Capitol Hill wanted insight on how their decisions impact us," Matthews said. "For example, sequestration was a hot topic. If they downsize our force, it critically impacts our Airmen.

"We would work long nights with less resources to accomplish the same mission. We carry out the mission, and it's important that our leaders are informed when making those big decisions."

Being surrounded by senior enlisted Airmen, generals and members of Congress, Matthews took the opportunity to soak in advice.

"I took the opportunity to ask chiefs for guidance, Airman to Airman," Matthews said. "The sum of their answers was to give back."

Setting up next and future generations to achieve even greater successes is a vital part of military and human evolution, explained Matthews, who strives to emulate that advice in his home life by being a role model for his little sister.

"I honestly think that she wants to join the military now after seeing me accomplish so much," Matthews chuckled. "I want her to be better than me. I'm going to set the bar high for her."

Upon further reflection, Matthews admits before his experience at Capitol Hill, he was very narrow-minded and didn't fully understand the scope of Beale's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission. 

"No matter how much of the puzzle you think you know, seeing decision-makers in action will really broaden your horizons," Matthews said. "I'm so proud to be a part of Beale's ISR mission."