USAF First Sergeant of the Year Award

  • Published
Applicable to: Military


Established by the Air Force, the award recognizes the important contributions and leadership qualities exhibited by Air Force members in the First Sergeant career field, special duty identifier (SDI) 8F000.

Organizations and base-level personnel must contact their major command (MAJCOM), field operating agency (FOA), direct reporting unit (DRU), combatant command (COCOM), or MAJCOM equivalent for applicable suspense date and for additional information regarding nomination procedures.

Nominations for USAF First Sergeant of the Year Award

Major commands (MAJCOM) will nominate candidates to the Air Force First Sergeant of the Year (FSOY) Award selection board. In addition, the Air Force District of Washington (AFDW) will nominate candidates from the HAF central board to the Air Force FSOY Award selection board. This process continues to provide a more level playing field between like units and organizations, and equalizes the competition for both small units and large organizations.

We will continue to use the two-tiered nomination process for small units. Under the two-tiered system, field operation agencies (FOA) submit candidates to their parent two-digit Air Staff DCS or Air Force Secretariat Office, which establishes internal candidate selection processes and suspenses. AFDW will facilitate the selection boards for all small units, Air Force Elements (AFELMs), and Direct Reporting Units (DRUs). AFDW will suspense all organizations appropriately to ensure the Air Force Personnel Center Recognition Program (AFPC/DP1SSP) suspense is met.

Each Air Staff DCS and Air Force Secretariat Office may submit their nomination to AFDW/A1K, which conducts the HAF small unit selection board. The HAF small unit selection board identifies one nominee to meet a HAF central board.

The following Air Staff DCS/Secretariat Offices and their associated FOAs will submit nominations to AFDW/A1K, 1500 West Perimeter Rd, Suite 5300, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, 20762-7001, for competition in the HAF small unit selection board:

* SAF/OS, SAF/US, SAF/AA, SAF/IA, SAF/GC, SAF/LL, SAF/SB, SAF/SD, SAF/SN, SAF/SX (NO FOAs)
* SAF/AG (AFAA), SAF/AQ (AFPEO), SAF/CIO, SAF/FM (AFCAA & AFFSC), SAF/IE (AFRPA), SAF/IG (AFIA & AFOSI), SAF/MR (AFRBA), SAF/PA (AFPAA)
* AF/CC/CV/CVA (No FOAs); HAF/CY; HAF/CIO; HAF/RM; HAF/CM; HAF/ES; HAF/LO; AF/SE (AFSC); AF/HO (AFHRA); AF/RE (No FOAs); AF/HC (No FOAs); AF/A4/7 (AFCEE, AFCESA, AFLMA & AFSFC); AF/JA (AFLOA); AF/SG (AFMOA & AFMSA); AF/A1 (AFPC, AFPOA, AFMA & AFSVA); AF/A2 (AFISR); AF/A3/5 (AFWA, AFOG& AFFSA); AF/ST (No FOAs); AF/TE (No FOAs); and SAF/XC (AFAMS, AFFMA, AFCA & AFGCIG)


AFELM/COCOM
The following AFELMs/COCOMs may submit their nomination to AFDW/A1K, 1500 West Perimeter Rd, Suite 5500, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, 20762-7001, for competition on the AFELM selection board (1R, 3A, 3C, 3D, 3G, 3K, 3M, 3N, 3O, 3Q, 3T, 3V, 4D, 25, 31, 33, 35, 37, 38, & 39). The AFELM selection board identifies one nominee to meet the HAF central selection board.

DRU
The following DRUs may submit their nomination to AFDW/A1K, 1500 West Perimeter Rd, Suite 5500, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, 20762-7001, for competition on the DRU selection board: AFDW, AFOTEC & USAFA. The DRU selection board identifies one nominee to meet the HAF central board.

AFDW will facilitate the HAF central board and will nominate one individual to meet the Air Force FSOY Award selection board. AFDW/A1K point of contact number is DSN 612-6587 (commercial 240-612-6587).

MAJCOM
The following MAJCOMs and MAJCOM-equivalents may each nominate on individual to HQ AFPC/DP1SSP by 4 April 2017 for direct competition in the Air Force FSOY selection board: ACC, AETC, AFGSC, AFMC, AFRC (includes ARPC), AFSOC, AFSPC, ANG, AMC, PACAF, USAFE, and AFDW (HAF central board).

Procedures
Please disseminate the following procedures for the 2017 FSOY Award throughout your commands and organizations, and ensure these guidelines are STRICTLY adhered to:

The period of service for this award is 1 January - 31 December 2016. Write-ups must be based upon achievements that occurred ONLY during calendar year 2016.

Nominees must have served in the position of First Sergeant and held the SDI 8F000 for at least 6-months during the award period. Both requirements must be met for eligibility. Since nominees are representatives of the Air Force, they must also stand the test of a "whole life/whole career" scrutiny. The "whole life/whole career" screening will be conducted at Air Force level only.

Nomination Package

Write-up

A write-up of 30 typewritten lines (including stand-alone headings), single-spaced, bullet format (mandatory), size 12 point font, using the front side only the AF Form 1206. Nomination for Award (MUST USE THE MOST RECENT FORM VERSION ON E-PUBS). Use the headings mentioned in the below paragraphs. Common acronyms may be used as long as the meaning is clear (TDY, AF, USAFE, SFS, etc.), otherwise acronyms will not be used. The use of an acronym list is not permitted.

Include the following areas and cite examples that occurred only during the award period of the nomination (see attached AF Form 1206 as an example).

Leadership and Job Performance in Primary Duty

Describe significant accomplishments and how well the member performed assigned primary and additional duties. Include efforts to lead and produce timely, high quality/quantity mission-oriented results. Define the scope and level of responsibilities and the impact on the mission and unit. Include any new initiatives or techniques developed by the member that positively impacted the unit and/or the mission. Show how the member developed or improved skills related to primary duties; e.g., formal training, Career Development Course enrollment or completion, On-the-Job Training, and so forth. Include results of Air Force, MAJCOM, and Numbered Air Force-level inspections and/or evaluations. Include awards received; e.g., NCO of the Quarter, Maintenance Professional of the Year, and so forth.

Whole Airman Concept

Define the scope and impact of the member's effort to promote camaraderie, embrace esprit de corps, and act as an Air Force ambassador, including positive leadership and involvement in both the military and civilian community. Include leadership, membership, or participation in unit advisory councils, professional military organizations, associations, and events. Include any off-duty education or other personal development; e.g., class, course, certifications, degree enrollment and/or completion, grade point average. Cite any other relevant training or activity that significantly enhanced the member's value as a military citizen.

* Sample AF 1206 (First Sergeant of the Year).pdf

Biography
An official Air Force biography, limited to two pages. Example biographies can be found at the Air Force biography homepage (http://www.af.mil/AboutUs/Biographies.aspx). Installation Public Affairs shops can also assist.

* Sample Biography.pdf

Fitness

A current Air Force Fitness Management System print out of members’ physical fitness history. If member is on a profile include a copy of the members AF Form 422, Physical Profile Serial Report in the package. If the member has a current fitness score, but was exempt during any portion of the award period, an AF Form 422 must be provided.


Official Photos

NOTE: Two photos required. If nominee is deployed or just returned from deployment and unavailable, ensure that justification for the status of the required photos is provided in the email (at a minimum).

1. An official Air Force 5x7 photo in jpg format, no bigger than 500KB. Photo and uniform requirement: Full length, short sleeve blue shirt, no tie/tab, name tag, all ribbons and badges. NOTE: No exceptions will be authorized regarding the short sleeve blue shirt requirement.
2. An official Air Force 8x10 photo in .jpg format. Photo requirement: head and shoulders, Service Dress, blue background with US flag.

Statement of Release

A statement of release, addressed to HQ AFPC/DP1SSP, must be signed and dated by the nominee. The statement will read verbatim:

"I do or do not (circle one) agree to the use of Privacy Act information in the nomination narrative. This information may include Privacy Act information or Personally Identifiable Information (PII) found in DoD 5400.11-R, DoD Privacy Program, Disclosure of Personal Information to Other Agencies and Third Parties and guidance in Air Force Instruction 33-332, Air Force Privacy and Civil Liberties Program, Chapters 1, 2, and 6. I understand those transmitting personal information via email will exercise caution and adequately safeguard it in accordance with AFI 33-332, paragraph 2.5. and subparagraphs. The announcement message or any publicity regarding the award nomination will contain no privacy act information other than name, rank, and base of assignment."

Note: For the Statement of Release, if permission is not granted, it will not preclude member from competing for the award.

Recommendation Letter

A recommendation letter signed by the MAJCOM/COCOM/FOA/DRU commander, vice commander, or executive director also stating that “A records check was conducted on (date) and revealed no information that would bring discredit to the award or the United States Air Force.” This may be delegated to the A1 directors by the MAJCOM commander.

Citation

A citation, limited to no less than 50 and no more than 70 words (not including opening and closing statements), that provides specific examples of leadership and job performance; significant self-improvement; and base or community involvement. Refer to Attachment 3, AFI 36-2805, Special Trophies and Awards for format.

Nomination Submission

Please ensure all your serviced units are aware of the timelines and procedures for the 2017 12 FSOY award program so that deserving candidates are given the opportunity to compete fully without compromising the two-tiered competitive system.

The only acceptable scanned documents we will accept are those with signatures, such as endorsement letters and public release statements. Digitally signed endorsement letters and public release statements will be accepted. The AF Form 1206 must be sent in its original format (NOT SCANNED) and all other documents should be in MS Word document format.

If your package is late and an extension has not been requested/approved before the suspense date, a late submission letter is required from the MAJCOM/COCOM/FOA/DRU CV or A1. Negative replies are mandatory. Ensure a confirmed receipt is sent back to your organization. If you do not receive a confirmed receipt within 2 weeks, resubmit your package.

MAJCOMs/HAF CENTRAL BOARD send nominations in original format to AFPC/DP1SSP.