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JBSA News
NEWS | July 13, 2017

Air Force medic living her dream as a first sergeant

By Robert Goetz 502nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs




A master sergeant who has spent most of her career helping people as a medic has long dreamed of serving the Air Force community in another way.

She is now living that dream as a first sergeant.

Master Sgt. Gina Escanes became the 502nd Air Base Wing staff agencies’ shirt nearly a year ago. She serves more than 500 service members whose career fields range from contracting, safety and public affairs to equal opportunity, administration and legal.

“What motivated me to become a first sergeant was to help people, especially those who are in need,” she said. “I also wanted to be that person they could come to and feel they were going to be helped in the way they needed it. I am a medic by trade, so I’ve taken care of patients and I wanted to continue assisting people in their time of need and make the unit a better place.”

Escanes said her days can be “very unpredictable,” but they often start in the same way.

“I check in with the chief and commander first thing in the morning just to see if there’s anything going on or if there’s anything they need help with,” she said.

Some of her other duties are assisting the commander support staff, checking her emails, getting ready for award presentations or commander’s calls and taking care of administrative paperwork, especially any pending disciplinary actions.

“Part of my typical day may also include in-processing as well as out-processing folks,” Escanes said. “This may include deployments, getting people ready to go downrange.”

One of Escanes’ greatest challenges in her position is covering three locations: JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, JBSA-Lackland and JBSA-Randolph.

“I have personnel at three locations, so I’m not able to be at each location every day,” she said. “I plan site visits so I can get to know the people and learn what they do.”

First sergeants have a disciplinary role as well. Escanes said she works to balance that duty with her role as supporter of her Airmen.

“It can be very difficult to uphold standards of conduct and also try to be there for them,” she said. “I try my best to make them understand I’m going to enforce those standards, but I’m also here for them.”

A Los Angeles native, Escanes joined the Air Force after graduating from high school and found her niche as an aerospace medical technician. Her journeys have taken her to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England; Sheppard AFB, Texas; JBSA-Lackland; and JBSA-Fort Sam Houston.

Escanes, who also has extensive duties as a wife and the mother of five children, was serving as 59th Medical Wing Internal Medicine Flight chief when she became a first sergeant in August 2016 through the Developmental Special Duty process.

“I knew years ago I wanted to be a first sergeant, so as soon as I put on my master sergeant stripe I started looking into becoming a first sergeant,” she said. “I let my chief know I wanted to become a first sergeant. She said she thought I would make a great first sergeant.”

Escanes said she did not fully realize the responsibilities of a first sergeant when she assumed her position, but she enjoyed the job from the start.

“Probably what I enjoy most about my job is the people – interacting with them, learning about their lives and learning about their jobs,” she said. “I was in the medical career field for 18 years, so I know a lot about that field. Being the wing staff agencies’ first sergeant, I get to learn about a lot of different career fields.”

Escanes said being a first sergeant is probably the best job she’s had in the Air Force.

“I enjoy it every day, I like the unpredictability of it, I love just being able to get out there, help people and make a difference,” she said.