Airfield quality assurance evaluator recognized with Air Force award

Published May 27, 2010
By Susan Griggs
Keesler News editor

KEESLER AFB, MS -- Tech. Sgt. James Gross, 81st Operations Support Flight quality assurance evaluator, is the Air Force's airfield management noncommissioned officer of the year for 2009.
Sergeant Gross returned April 19 from a nearly six-month deployment with the 532nd Expeditionary Opera-tions Support Squadron, Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, where he served as deputy airfield manager. It was his third deployment -- he served at Al Udeid AB, Qatar, from January-May 2005 and September 2006 to January 2006 at Ali Base, Iraq.

Sergeant Gross, a self-proclaimed "Air Force brat," came to Keesler 16 months ago.
The 19-year Air Force member was honored for his accomplishments both at Keesler as well as in Iraq, said Justin Cooper, Keesler's chief of airfield operations.

At Keesler, Sergeant Gross served as the point of contact for Keesler's 2009 Thunder on the Bay Air Show's ground operations that included 35 parked aircraft with 6,000 feet of barriers and 40 booths for 142,000 visitors.

"It was an awesome opportunity to assist the Air Force in giving something back to the communities up and down the Gulf Coast, Sergeant Gross remarked. "Team Keesler did a tremendous job with the show and left people with a positive view of the Air Force that no amount of money could have purchased."

Sergeant Gross also synchronized Keesler's $2.8 million airfield repair project by juggling dynamic airfield parking plan to ensure 403rd Wing and 45th Airlift Squadron continuity.

In Iraq, Sergeant Gross supervised Al Asad airfield operations and its 4½ tons of cargo and 1,200 sorties processed; crafted a parking plan for transfer of T-6s to Iraq by being the linchpin to the historic and inaugural Iraqi pilot training program; conceptualized the airfield driving program transformation from the Marine Corps to the Air Force during a senior airport authority transition; taught 15 Al Asad airfield driving classes, trained 362 personnel on airfield driving procedures to impact safety measures; and identified a major joint sealant pavement failure and oversaw primary Al Asad runway repairs to prevent a closure that would impact Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sergeant Gross conducted 23 airfield inspections, one of which resulted in correcting united facility criteria violations by repairing a five-inch hole to avert potential aircraft.
"There were two contributions that I made during my deployment that I consider important: being part of the Air Force team that assisted the Marine Corps in its transition from Iraq back to their home units and mentoring Airmen across a variety of Air Force specialty codes," he pointed out.

"I'm deeply honored and humbled by the love and support of my wife, Christina, and my five children, Jeremy, Katie, Becca, Amanda, and Sarah," Sergeant Gross added. "Without their love and support, I would not have had the freedom necessary to do the things that culminated in being selected for this award."