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Recruiting NCO excels in education, mentorship

  • Published
  • By Annette Crawford
  • Air Force Recruiting Service Public Affairs
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas --  Education and mentorship are two key factors in any Airman's career. After being promoted through the Stripes for Exceptional Performers program, Master Sgt. Brett Diaz wants to make sure more Airmen are aware of those opportunities.

Diaz is a health professions recruiter with the 342nd Recruiting Squadron, and is based in Del City, Okla. He was on temporary duty the week before Christmas when he was told to be back early Dec. 20 for a visit with the commander, Lt. Col. Matthew Sandelier.

"My flight chief, Master Sgt. Lamont Thorpe, told me to come back to the office a few days early because the commander wanted to present some awards and go over some new processes," Diaz said. "My flight mate, Master Sgt. Brandon Kline, and I were in the Kansas City area, so we left about 6 a.m. that Friday to make it back in time."

Diaz said the commander did indeed hand out some awards, and then went through some processes that were changing. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then the commander asked him to bring him one of his completed applications.

When Sandelier got the form, he looked it over and told Diaz, "This form isn't filled out correctly." The recruiter couldn't find anything wrong and told the commander so.

Sandelier insisted there was a mistake and pointed to Diaz's rank on the form.

"Then my wife and daughter came into the room and suddenly I realized what was happening," Diaz said. "Then the tears started."

Diaz said his wife found out about the promotion Dec. 17.

"When they called her up they asked if she could keep a secret. She said there was no way if I were at home, but since I was TDY she could do it," he said with a laugh.

Diaz, a native of Ulysses, Kan., joined the Air Force in 1998 and spent the first 10 years of his career in the supply field. He was on a combat logistics team four of those years, a special duty assignment where he deployed with the Army, provided presidential support and traveled extensively stateside on a regular basis. While he enjoyed his job, he wanted to find something different.

"A friend of mine told me about recruiting and I was really interested in it because of the helping aspect," he said.

From September 2008 until January 2012, Diaz was an enlisted accessions recruiter in Colorado Springs, Colo. When he neared the end of that assignment, he was nominated to be a flight chief, but due to manning levels at that time, he instead became a health professions recruiter.

"It wasn't what I wanted at that time but it all worked out," Diaz said. "HP's been very good to me."

"Sergeant Diaz exemplifies the intent of the STEP program," Sandelier said. "He has excelled at every level of his career. In 10 years as a material manager and combat logistician, his skills were applied in multiple deployments to Southwest Asia, in joint environments, moving supplies, tanks, trucks and helicopters to support warfighters across the Department of Defense. In five years as a recruiter, he has earned many of the highest production awards we give, including Squadron Rookie Recruiter of the Year, two Gold Olympiad medals, and five silver recruiter badges."

Diaz said he's looking forward to impacting more people's lives as a senior NCO.
"I want to help guide younger Airmen. Too often, people don't look at the future, but just at the present. They need to look ahead at their career, whether they stay in the Air Force or decide to get out," he said. "As a technical sergeant, I completed the NCO Academy, Senior Enlisted Joint PME and Course 14. And I did my job every day to the best of my ability, like I was supposed to do."

Diaz has a bachelor's degree in business and a master's in business administration, both from Columbia Southern University.

"Sergeant Diaz is exceptional in every way we want our Airmen to be," Sandelier said. "He exceeded expectations in each of his 15 years of service, and is dedicated to the Air Force mission and his community. He was a perfect candidate for the Stripes for Exceptional Performers program."