Shaw Airman wins ACC dorm manager of the year

Published Nov. 6, 2012
By Airman 1st Class Krystal M. Jeffers
20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- Every year throughout the Air Force, packages are sent up the chain of command for review. These packages belong to Airmen who believe, or whose supervisor believes, that they are outstanding, that they stand out from their peers and worthy of winning awards.

Awards vary and include Outstanding Airman, NCO, civilian, and Officer. They are quarterly awards and they are also yearly awards.

One of those awards is Dorm Manager of the Year.

This year, Tech Sgt. Brian Ailstock, 20th Civil Engineer Squadron NCO in charge of unaccompanied housing, earned the Dorm Manager of the Year award at Air Combat Command level.

Ailstock has been in the military for 17 years and was originally a pharmacist. He began working in dorm management Nov. 11, 2011, and has been a dorm manager for almost a year.

"I never thought about leaving the medical group," he said. "I was the NCO in charge of the pharmacy and I had a superintendent named Senior Master Sgt. Brooks. I had been there for seven years and she could tell I needed a new challenge. I had recently pinning on Tech. Sgt. and there was really nowhere else for me to go until I made master sergeant. She heard about this position opening up and talked to me about it."

"I thought it might be good," the native of Virgina Beach, Va., continued. "I had been doing pharmacy for 16 years and no matter how fulfilling that job can be, I needed a change, to do something different and step outside of my comfort zone. I wanted to try something new and see how I would do. I really did not want to leave Shaw so it was a good match."

The current position Ailstock fills is usually held by a master sergeant.

"It is a challenge, but it can be rewarding," Ailstock said. "There is no tech school for this job. There is no training. There is nothing to prepare you to do this job. There is no manual but the AFI which I have on my desk and look at all the time. However, things pop up like two suitemates hating each other. There is no AFI for that. So, it is tough. I learned by trial and error."

Ailstock said, one of the things he learned by trial and error was when ordering something for the dorm like new stoves, to order a few extra just in case. He also learned to include installation and disposing of the previous appliances in the request.

"It is rewarding when things go smoothly," Ailstock said. "It means I am getting better. It is also rewarding making the Airmen happy. There was this girl who used her stove all the time and she was very happy to be getting a new one."

Appliances over time break down and stop working. Things around the campus break and need replacing.

"Each shop gets a certain amount of money per year to spend and the way the military is, money is shrinking up. We don't have a huge budget here in the dorms, but we have a lot of needs for things," explained Ailstock.

Ailstock put in four packages for end-of-the-year money for the Airmen which included: new stoves, refrigerators, mattresses, more bedding for incoming Airmen, and tables and chairs.

"Our refrigerators are over 10 years old and they are starting to break down," he said. "We don't have the money to repair or replace them with our regular budget so I put in four packages for end-of-year money. We have to offer bedding to new residents and our supply of bed-in-a-bags was really low. Also, some of the dorms' tables and chairs were starting to fall apart."

Their requests were approved and they were able to get 105 new refrigerators, 105 stoves, 105 kitchen tables, 210 kitchen chairs, 130 mattresses, and 150 bed-in-a-bags, according to Ailstock.

"I could have sat here and never asked for anything, then we wouldn't have gotten anything. Look at what we got just because I asked and learned how to put together the request. A lot goes into that; we have to get quotes from vendors and do research."

When he first became a dorm manager, Ailstock also requested for the parking lot beside dorm 419 to be repaved.

"I try to improve the dorm campus which makes the Airmen happier and I think when airmen are happier and not concerned about their living environment they worry less and do a better job," Ailstock said. "If you know that your shower works, you have a good bed, your air conditioning works, you don't have mold in your room and everything is great in the dorms then you can focus on your job."

"The purpose of having Airmen in the dorms is rooted in the philosophy of taking care of unaccompanied Airmen and how important it is that the first three years of a single Airmen's career is focused on developing them, training them and educating them," said Chief Master Sgt. James Wilkerson, 20th Fighter Wing command chief. "Also, living in the dorms gives Airmen the opportunity to be more mission focused on their responsibilities and duties. We are developing them to be successful NCOs by helping them ensure that they have stable finances and that they have gained the knowledge on how to live on their own and take care of their own space."

Ailstock added to the subject, "The intent of living in the dorms is to teach responsibility. We have a ton of 18 to 19-year-olds coming into the dorms who have never lived on their own. It is kind of like a stepping stone. I also think it teaches Airmen to interact with people. I hope more of the quiet and introverted people are developing social skills and meeting people."

Wilkerson elaborated on responsibility and why it is was important to teach Airmen that. "Part of being a professional is being responsible. Being responsible ensures the perception of high creditability, high integrity and excellence in all they do. People will trust you because you are that role model and that outstanding citizen."

Ailstock remembered when he had to live in the dorms back at his first assignment, Andrews AFB, Md.

"I can still picture myself living in the dorms, which is funny because I now am a dorm manager," he recalled. "I lived in the dorms for about a year and I remember they had some new dorms and some older dorms. I was assigned to an older dorm and everyone had their own room but you didn't have a sink, bathroom or shower. All you had was your bed and some furniture. Each floor had a community bathroom. Dorms have come a long way since then."

Ailstock helped improve the dorms for Airmen by participating in the remodeling of the old dorms, purchasing furniture for the new rooms, and assisting in getting free basic cable in two dorms.

"This is going to sound corny, but I feel like I am doing good here: getting parking lots paved, getting new appliances and new mattresses," Ailstock said. "It makes me feel good when we do good things for the Airmen."

20th Civil Engineer Squadron members win best in ACC