JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas –
The results are in and Joint Base San Antonio- Lackland’s own Senior Master Sgt. Jason Dahlquist, 326th Training Squadron first sergeant, has taken home the Air Force First Sergeant of the Year award.
"This feels amazing – it’s still sinking in," Dahlquist said. "I don’t think anybody wakes up on the first of January and thinks to themselves, ‘I’m going to end up as first sergeant of the year.’"
The honor is the culmination of a rigorous screening process involving thousands of first sergeants from across the entire Air Force competing from the group level all the way up to major command. Nominees are examined based on their leadership, job performance, self-improvement and community involvement.
At the 326th TRS, Dahlquist is one of the leaders of the Airmen’s Week, a course that serves as a bridge between basic military training and technical training. There, he helps more than 750 recently-graduated Airmen per week reflect on healthy mental, social, physical and spiritual practices through a series of presentations and round table discussions.
"I have the honor to work every day with some of the best and brightest minds in the entire Air Force," said Dahlquist, who was quick to share credit with his coworkers at the 326th TRS. "Our job isn’t easy, but it’s vital to the mission here at JBSA-Lackland and, in turn, the rest of the Air Force."
Chief Master Sgt. Sharon Fuller, 37th Training Wing command chief, said Dahlquist’s selection for the award was a "no-brainer," considering his invaluable contributions to Airmen’s Week.
"Dahlquist isn’t just involved in Airmen’s Week – he helped create it," she noted. "He is an amazing first sergeant. He bends over backwards to take care of our airmen and we’re extremely privileged to have him as part of the 37th Training Wing team."
Fuller noted that Dahlquist, as part of the team that developed Airmen’s Week, helped create much of the curriculum, design and presentation that Airmen see as a finished product at the conclusion of BMT. During this process, Dahlquist worked regularly with some big names, including Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James Cody.
Still, Dahlquist was surprised when Cody personally called to relay the news that he had won the award.
"I was on leave in Massachusetts at the time, so my family and I were actually headed to a Red Sox game when I got the call," said Dahlquist, an avid Boston fan with the accent to match. "It was humbling; it was a surprise."
Fuller, however, wasn’t surprised at all. Noting that the screening for the award is just as rigorous as the screening undertaken by military training instructors, Fuller was confident the process would reward Dahlquist’s dedication and hard work.
"We want the best of the best in the Air Force to be the ones setting the standard," Fuller noted. "Dahlquist winning this award demonstrates that he wasn’t just the best of the best in his role with BMT, but his work ethic and dedication is exactly the role model we want Airmen to see as they start their careers."
Fuller urged future award nominees to remember that dedication goes a long way, regardless of how many people are watching.
"If you work hard at your job, the Air Force is willing to recognize that," she said. "Dahlquist is proof of that – he’s been simply phenomenal."