Local serviceman receives Thomas N. Barnes Crew Chief of the Year award
Nathan Tierney, Tech Sergeant in the United States Air Force (USAF) and a 2003 graduate of Lassen High School, will be presented with the Thomas N. Barnes Crew Chief of the Year award.
Presented for outstanding aircraft crew chief in the USAF, Tierney will receive this award at the Opening and Award Ceremony held in conjunction with the Air Force Association’s 2017 Air, Space and Cyber Conference and Technology Exposition in Washington D.C. Sept. 16-17.
“There is such a legacy and rich history behind aircraft crew chiefs,” Tierney said. “I am very honored to win the Chief Barnes award for the United States Air Force. It’s the most prestigious award a crew chief can receive.”
Tierney has been in the Air Force since 2004, working in the maintenance field.
His favorite part of the job, he shared, is working under pressure, and making sure each aircraft is ready for its next mission.
Currently serving as the 31st Maintenance Squadron Inspection Section Chief at Aviano Air Base in Italy, he is attending Embry Riddle Aeronautical University to earn a bachelor’s of applied science degree in aeronautics with a minor in management and safety.
“I honestly did not expect to win this award,” Tierney said, “Everyone who was submitted for this award was equally deserving. Now I am considered the best of the best and will continue to strive to be the best maintainer and airman I can be.”
Tierney, his wife Danielle (Boomer) and their two daughters are expected to remain in Italy for at least three years.