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188th members earn wing Sijan Awards, national nominations

  • Published
  • By Maj. Heath Allen
  • 188th executive officer
FORT SMITH, Ark. --  Above and beyond is the norm rather than the exception for a quartet of 188th Fighter Wing Airmen. The 188th recently recognized four of its members for winning the wing level Lance P. Sijan Leadership Award. Each of the members was nominated at the Air National Guard level as well. Winners at the ANG level will advance to compete at the Air Force echelon.

Staff Sgt. Michael Rybarczyk, Chief Master Sgt. Donnie Frederick, Maj. Jim Garvey and Maj. Sara Stigler each earned top billing for the Sijan in their respective categories: Junior enlisted, senior enlisted, junior officer and senior officer.

"We're very proud of the quality of Airmen that we have in both the enlisted and officer ranks," said Col. Mark W. Anderson, 188th Fighter Wing commander. "These four Airmen have made outstanding contributions to the wing and deserve this recognition. They represent what this unit is built on: Hard work, determination, resiliency and the ability to adapt and overcome whatever challenges they face. They're the epitome of exceptional leadership and they're model officers and NCOs [noncommissioned officers]. I'm honored that they've chosen to be a part of our 188th family."

The Sijan award was created in 1981 to recognize individuals who have demonstrated the highest qualities of leadership in their jobs and in their lives. It has become one of the U.S. Air Force's most prestigious awards. Sijan, an Air Force captain and fighter pilot, died while a POW in Vietnam. Prior to his capture, the United States Air Force Academy graduate and posthumous Medal of Honor recipient evaded the North Vietnamese for six weeks after being shot down in November 1967.

The wing Sijan victors were measured in four categories: Scope of responsibility, professional leadership, community involvement and leadership image.

Frederick, who serves as the 188th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron superintendent, was a key player in the 188th's record-setting deployment to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan in 2012. Frederick, who manages more than 160 Airmen in three flights, oversaw much of the flightline operations and maintenance on the 188th's A-10C Thunderbolt II "Warthogs" while deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Both Frederick and Garvey, 188th Maintenance Squadron commander, played critical roles in the Bagram deployment, the largest in 188th history. They helped raise the bar with myriad new high marks in fiscal year 2012, the year in which the award was based.

The 188th flew 3,236 sorties, of which 1,853 were in combat. The Wing logged 9,730.8 total flying hours; 7,626.2 of those hours were flown in combat supporting U.S. and allied ground forces in Afghanistan. All of those metrics were wing records for both a deployment and a one-year span.

The 188th achieved a phenomenal 100 percent mission tasking completion rate in Afghanistan. Amid a 24-hour schedule and an extremely high ops tempo, the unit did not miss a single combat mission tasking while deployed to Bagram.

Stigler, 188th Intelligence chief, was an essential player in both the deployment and the wing's ongoing mission conversion preparation. The 188th is currently in the initial stages of transitioning from an A-10 close-air support fighter mission to an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance/MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft operation.

While deployed, she synergized threat detection among multiple joint partners in the vicinity of Bagram, protecting thousands of coalition lives. She was also instrumental in the overhaul of the reporting processes for alleged border crossing and civilian casualty claims. These new processes avoided strategic-level adverse effects to coalition efforts.

After redeployment, Stigler was handpicked to lead the Intelligence conversion committee, overseeing a 2,700 percent increase in wing Intelligence billets and helping to facilitate the largest mission change in wing history.

Rybarczyk, an aircraft fuel systems specialist with the 188th Maintenance Squadron, used his civilian skillset to saves lives while deployed to Bagram. He exhibited intrepid leadership under fire when he ran from his bunker across an open area to reach three Airmen who had been wounded during a rocket attack.

Rybarcyzk utilized his civilian training as an emergency medical technician to triage and treat the wounded until medical personnel arrived. He then accompanied the wounded Airmen to the hospital and continued to provide medical care en route.

"I can't say enough about the quality of the Airmen in this wing," Anderson said. "We have some amazing people doing some amazing things in the 188th. I'm honored to serve with all of them."






188th members earn wing Sijan Awards, national nominations

  • Published
  • By Maj. Heath Allen
  • 188th executive officer
FORT SMITH, Ark. --  Above and beyond is the norm rather than the exception for a quartet of 188th Fighter Wing Airmen. The 188th recently recognized four of its members for winning the wing level Lance P. Sijan Leadership Award. Each of the members was nominated at the Air National Guard level as well. Winners at the ANG level will advance to compete at the Air Force echelon.

Staff Sgt. Michael Rybarczyk, Chief Master Sgt. Donnie Frederick, Maj. Jim Garvey and Maj. Sara Stigler each earned top billing for the Sijan in their respective categories: Junior enlisted, senior enlisted, junior officer and senior officer.

"We're very proud of the quality of Airmen that we have in both the enlisted and officer ranks," said Col. Mark W. Anderson, 188th Fighter Wing commander. "These four Airmen have made outstanding contributions to the wing and deserve this recognition. They represent what this unit is built on: Hard work, determination, resiliency and the ability to adapt and overcome whatever challenges they face. They're the epitome of exceptional leadership and they're model officers and NCOs [noncommissioned officers]. I'm honored that they've chosen to be a part of our 188th family."

The Sijan award was created in 1981 to recognize individuals who have demonstrated the highest qualities of leadership in their jobs and in their lives. It has become one of the U.S. Air Force's most prestigious awards. Sijan, an Air Force captain and fighter pilot, died while a POW in Vietnam. Prior to his capture, the United States Air Force Academy graduate and posthumous Medal of Honor recipient evaded the North Vietnamese for six weeks after being shot down in November 1967.

The wing Sijan victors were measured in four categories: Scope of responsibility, professional leadership, community involvement and leadership image.

Frederick, who serves as the 188th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron superintendent, was a key player in the 188th's record-setting deployment to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan in 2012. Frederick, who manages more than 160 Airmen in three flights, oversaw much of the flightline operations and maintenance on the 188th's A-10C Thunderbolt II "Warthogs" while deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Both Frederick and Garvey, 188th Maintenance Squadron commander, played critical roles in the Bagram deployment, the largest in 188th history. They helped raise the bar with myriad new high marks in fiscal year 2012, the year in which the award was based.

The 188th flew 3,236 sorties, of which 1,853 were in combat. The Wing logged 9,730.8 total flying hours; 7,626.2 of those hours were flown in combat supporting U.S. and allied ground forces in Afghanistan. All of those metrics were wing records for both a deployment and a one-year span.

The 188th achieved a phenomenal 100 percent mission tasking completion rate in Afghanistan. Amid a 24-hour schedule and an extremely high ops tempo, the unit did not miss a single combat mission tasking while deployed to Bagram.

Stigler, 188th Intelligence chief, was an essential player in both the deployment and the wing's ongoing mission conversion preparation. The 188th is currently in the initial stages of transitioning from an A-10 close-air support fighter mission to an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance/MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft operation.

While deployed, she synergized threat detection among multiple joint partners in the vicinity of Bagram, protecting thousands of coalition lives. She was also instrumental in the overhaul of the reporting processes for alleged border crossing and civilian casualty claims. These new processes avoided strategic-level adverse effects to coalition efforts.

After redeployment, Stigler was handpicked to lead the Intelligence conversion committee, overseeing a 2,700 percent increase in wing Intelligence billets and helping to facilitate the largest mission change in wing history.

Rybarczyk, an aircraft fuel systems specialist with the 188th Maintenance Squadron, used his civilian skillset to saves lives while deployed to Bagram. He exhibited intrepid leadership under fire when he ran from his bunker across an open area to reach three Airmen who had been wounded during a rocket attack.

Rybarcyzk utilized his civilian training as an emergency medical technician to triage and treat the wounded until medical personnel arrived. He then accompanied the wounded Airmen to the hospital and continued to provide medical care en route.

"I can't say enough about the quality of the Airmen in this wing," Anderson said. "We have some amazing people doing some amazing things in the 188th. I'm honored to serve with all of them."