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Weasel of the Week | Staff Sgt Frans Coetzee

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Isaac Nicholson
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

Where are you from?
I’m from Columbia, South Carolina.

Why did you decide to join the Air Force?
Well, I was about 19 when I joined. I left college because it really wasn’t for me at the time and I wanted to see the world. My dad, who was once a Marine, told me to join the Air Force.

How long have you been at Shaw?
I’ve been at Shaw for five years.

What is one Air Force resource you found that is incredibly beneficial?
Speaking from the heart, I really appreciate the military’s Humanitarian Assignments program. At one point, I was stationed in Hawaii with an assignment to Korea but since my mother was diagnosed as terminally ill, I was given the opportunity to be stationed here and be closer to her. The Air Force took care of me.

What is your favorite part of South Carolina?
I enjoy living about fifteen minutes from my family. But I realize that I’m kind of biased because I grew up here.

What is your favorite part of your hometown?
I really enjoy the fact that my hometown isn’t too big. Columbia has just about everything you could need but its’s not a huge city.

How would you describe a normal day for you?
A normal day starts with checking emails and making sure there are no urgent tasks to take care of right away. If not, we’ll just jump into normal operations. This can consist of receiving items at the warehouse, pulling expired items, reorganizing the warehouse, and many other things.

What is one word that describes how you lead?
Empathetically. I try to see things through the eyes of those I lead, because I remember being a young Airman.

What is your favorite sport?
It would have to be football. I pull for the Carolina Panthers.

What is one thing you wish people knew about your job?
I wish people knew that there are some things we can’t make happen out of thin air. For example, if there is a certain item that is needed from the warehouse and we’ve already ordered it, there is nothing we can do to make it show up any faster. It can take some time.

What is your least favorite part of your job? How do you make sure it gets done?
I’m not much of a fan of relabeling items and there can be thousands of them at a time. However, I’m usually able to pull a few Airmen together and get it done a lot faster.

What is your favorite part of the job?
Driving the forklift.

What would you like to say to the people back home?
Thank you for your patience and your love. Thanks for staying by my side all this time.