BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- Editor’s Note: This article is the fifth in a series highlighting the Air Force Global Strike Command Outstanding Airmen of the Year.
Air Force Global Strike Command recently named its Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2019, recognizing the top enlisted members across the command.
Senior Airman Truston Davis, a 7th Bomb Wing B-1B Lancer aerospace technician currently serving as a Dyess Air Force Base Honor Guard instructor, was named the Honor Guardsman of the Year.
Davis, who calls Newark, Delaware, home, joined the Air Force in March of 2017. He says that winning an OAY award was a team effort.
“It means that everyone that I have met during my time as an Dyess AFB Honor Guard instructor has played a huge role in making it this far,” Davis said. “I can’t thank each and every one of them enough. My family and my mentors throughout my career so far has guided me in the right path.”
During his last year on the Honor Guard, Davis served as lead trainer for 67 Airmen in a six-month period, overseeing 748 ceremonies and gaining the team 65 letters of appreciation and two Air Force Achievement Medals.
“My favorite thing about being an Honor Guard instructor is the people that step through the door wanting to be a guardsman,” he said. “Knowing that there are phenomenal Airmen from all over base coming together to provide the same honors to families that my grandfather had received when he passed away is my favorite part of the job. The people make the job!”
While there are many Honor Guard events that stand out to him, Davis said there are a few that make him particularly proud.
“One of the biggest events in my career was directing the July 4th Texas Rangers event, where we fielded colors and enabled the oath of enlistment for 200 Air Force recruits with a flawless execution,” he said. “We also repatriated a Vietnam vet that was MIA for 52 years, led and executed dignified arrival with five hours’ notice, and garnered a total of 43 million social media views of the ceremony, making national and worldwide headlines.”
In addition, Davis and his team fused Texas Honor Guard joint trainings with five bases, refining Honor Guard ceremonies for 65 guardsmen and standardizing 1,600 funerals for 165 counties.
Training others offers a particular sense of pride for Davis, because he feels they return to their units as better Airmen, which makes the AFGSC team stronger.
“During the past year, I have trained 67 Airmen ranging from airman basics to technical sergeants,” he said. “These Airmen are going back to their workstations with a sense of pride and professionalism. Airmen are learning leadership skills that they can take back with them to lead and mentor generations of Airmen.”