Kadena maintainer clinches Marquez award

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Christopher A. Marasky
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  A Team Kadena Airman leaves for Washington D.C. Saturday to receive the Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez award.

Senior Airman Sergio Martinez, an 18th Equipment Maintenance Squadron weapons technician, earned the Air Force-level award for continued excellence in the munitions and missile maintenance field.

The Marquez Award is in honor of Lt. Gen. Marquez who retired from the Air Force in 1987 as Deputy Chief of Staff, Logistics and Engineering at Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. The award is presented to maintainers who have demonstrated the highest degree of sustained job performance, job efficiency and results, job knowledge, and direct sortie generation involvement.

"Airman Martinez is a brilliant analytical thinker," said Master Sgt. Jerry Laney, First Term Airman's Center NCO in charge, and Airman Martinez's former supervisor who wrote the award winning package. "He has perfected his maintenance and troubleshooting skills and developed an organization that his peers strive for."

Airman Martinez set the bar with an impressive quality assurance rating for his work. Pacific Air Forces has a standard that all maintainers meet at least an 85 percent rating. For the entire year, Airman Martinez maintained a 100 percent rating, far exceeding the standards.

Airman Martinez also removed the panels from much of an F-15 Eagle frame and ran 50 feet of new wire to repair an aircraft that had been grounded for a month. After only four days of maintenance, all systems checked out 100 percent across the board and the F-15 flew again.

The Airman also led by example in the area of self improvement, as he finished his Community College of the Air Force degree and is only three credits shy of a second associate's degree in computer science.

Additionally, he was involved in a number of community improvement events, such as cleaning up Gate 2 Street after Typhoon Man-Yi and volunteering for Airmen Against Drunk Driving.

"He represents the 'whole-Airman' concept Air Force leaders strive to develop in their Airmen," said Maj. Christopher Iriarte, 18th EMS commander. "While continuing to increase his job-knowledge, he also finds time to pursue his education and contribute to the local community."

Despite his hard work, Airman Martinez was still shocked to learn that he had won the award at such a high level.

"I almost lost my breath and I just wanted to tell my wife and kids," he said. "I was so excited that I actually called home and told my entire family one by one, and explained how important this was for my career and my life."

As he prepared to head to Washington to represent both Kadena and the Pacific Air Forces, Airman Martinez shared some of his keys to success with his fellow Airmen.

"Patience is the key, it takes time," he said. "Sometimes you think no one sees what you do and you feel that what you do is not important, but it is. It's true that everyone in the Air Force is important to the mission."

In the end, neither Kadena nor PACAF could ask for a better representative, said Sergeant Laney.

"He was and still is a very positive example and role-model for other Airmen," he said. "With the passion, dedication and patriotism that he has for the Air Force, he'll make both Kadena and PACAF proud."