BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Master Sgt. Jerrod Kester, the Headquarters Individual Reservist Readiness and Integration Organization first sergeant, earned top honors at Air Force Reserve Command.
At an awards banquet held at the Waverly Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia, April 15, Kester was named as AFRC’s first sergeant of the year in the 2014 Outstanding Airmen of the Year award program.
Kester first learned of his selection as Airman of the Year several weeks prior, when he received a personal phone call from Maj. Gen. Richard S. Haddad, vice commander of Air Force Reserve Command. Kester said the fact that the general took time out of his schedule to make the call meant a lot to him.
In an email announcement to Air Force Reservists, Lt. Gen. James F. Jackson, the AFRC commander, congratulated Kester and the other Airmen of the Year.
“Our Citizen Airmen continue to embody and exemplify the meaning of commitment and excellence,” said Jackson.
Headquarters RIO commander, Col. Christopher Cronce, attended the awards banquet to celebrate with Kester.
"Master Sgt. Kester is all about taking care of our Individual Reservists and our Airmen, both civilian and military,” said Cronce. “We are very proud of his accomplishments and couldn't have asked for a better first sergeant!"
As a first sergeant, Kester takes a very personable approach to the job, preferring to visit regularly with his Airmen, rather than sit behind a desk. He said he has found that many people have developed negative connotations about first sergeants; that it's a bad thing to see them. That's why he makes a concerted effort to visit with everyone regularly, including phone calls to check in on remote employees.
“If I'm out and about, people get used to seeing me, then they realize I'm really there to check on their health, morale and welfare,” he said.
Kester has served as a first sergeant since 2008, when he was the additional duty first sergeant for the 914th Security Forces Squadron. He officially received his diamond in March 2009. He has served as the first sergeant for Headquarters RIO since 2012, when it was the Readiness Management Group.