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Selfridge Civilian Earns ANG Accolade

  • Published
  • By TSgt. Dan Heaton
  • 127th Wing Public Affairs
SELFRIDGE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Mich. --  David Fletcher, a civilian member of the 127th Communications Squadron, has won the Air National Guard's 2013 Gen. John P. Jumper Award for Excellence in Warfighting Integration. Fletcher serves as the Network Control Center supervisor for the 127th Wing, overseeing all computer network operations. He supervises a team of six people who work on computer networks at Selfridge Air National Guard Base.

The Jumper Award recognizes Air Force personnel who exhibit continued excellence in conducting cyberspace operations and supporting missions.

"David Fletcher is the go-to person in our Network Control Center," said Major Lisa Platz, commander of the 127th Communications Squadron. "His knowledge of the systems, his ability to troubleshoot and resolve issues and his dedication to the local mission are assets not only to our squadron and wing, but to the Air Force."

Fletcher has been a civilian employee of the 127th Wing at Selfridge since 2009. A native of the Detroit region, he spent 10 years on active duty with the Air Force in the computer communications field and then worked for U.S. Special Operations Command as a civilian at bases in Florida, before taking his current position at Selfridge.

With about 20 years of military computer systems experience under his belt, Fletcher said the evolution he has witnessed in the systems over the years is "hard to believe."

"I started when there really wasn't a network in the way that we think of it today, and now we've moved to a place where our computer networks are integral to our mission," Fletcher said.

Working on network systems requires both an intuitive sense of computer operations, but also a methodical approach to working on projects.

"If you jump steps or miss details, you can troubleshoot yourself right into a loop you can't get out of," he said.

Fletcher said he enjoys the challenge of keeping up with the evolution of the computer systems he works with.

"You have to keep learning, keep advancing your skills," he said. "You can never stop, because the systems are continuously becoming more complex."

Comprised of approximately 1,600 personnel and flying both the A-10 Thunderbolt II and the KC-135 Stratotanker, the 127th Wing supports Air Mobility Command, Air Combat Command and Air Force Special Operation Command by providing highly-skilled Airmen to missions domestically and overseas. The 127th Wing is the host unit at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, which marked its 96th year of continuous military air operations in 2013.