Top 4 shapes tomorrow’s Air Force

Published Oct. 18, 2008
By Master Sgt. Jeff Loftin
379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- The Air Force's tomorrow is with its Airmen today. One base organization wants to help shape that destiny by grooming Airmen for the challenges ahead.

The 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Top 4 is made up of members from the top four enlisted grades who are dedicated to passing on what they have learned and recognizing outstanding performance.

"I feel the Top 4's mentoring and professional development programs have made major contributions to the wing," said Senior Master Sgt. Willie Lester, the organization's vice president. "Helping our junior members become better Airmen is vital to the future success of the Air Force."

One of the programs the Top 4 sponsors is the Airmen Professional Development Seminar. The eight-week seminar teaches everything from enlisted performance report bullet writing to counseling and teambuilding. Classes are held at 8 a.m. Wednesdays and at 7 p.m. Fridays in the Airman Readiness Center.

"It's kind of like a mini-Professional Military Education," said Senior Master Sgt. Shawn Ricchuito, Top 4 president. "We've been pretty successful with it. We've even had some Army and Navy folks sit in on those classes to get an idea of what makes the Air Force tick. We've had some officers sit in on the EPR classes. It's been a really good mix of people."

The Top 4 has a cadre of teachers for the newly revised program who can also come to units to teach classes like ethics or mentoring.

Another way the Top 4 helps groom Airmen is through the Mentor and Shadow Program.

"If we have Airmen here who want to cross train we have a network of volunteers from different Air Force Specialty Codes," said Sergeant Ricchuito.

Senior NCOs from various career fields will spend time with the Airmen explaining the different jobs and help them make an informed decision for their future.

"We've had about a dozen or so people we've been able to point in the right direction who made some decisions to go into another career field," said the president. "They were able to get that guidance while they were here. You don't see that a lot at home station so that is one of the things we really hang our hat on."

Part of mentoring Airmen is recognizing those who excel. The Top 4 has several programs to recognize achievements, of these, the monthly promotion and recognition ceremony is their most important.

"The Top 4 is the lead for this," said Sergeant Ricchuito. "We usually recognize between 50 and 80 people per month.

"We didn't really have a solid promotion or recognition ceremony at all," he said.
"Through the efforts of the committee and working with the command chief we have absolutely brought this promotion and recognition ceremony into one that rivals any of the bases I've been at in my career. For it being at a deployed location that means a lot."

The organization started by recognizing promotions, but the program soon grew to include monthly and quarterly award winners and those who scored well on the Career Development Courses.

"Every month the crowd is full," said the Brackenridge, Pa., native. "There is hardly ever an empty seat in the Coalition Compound Theater. It has turned out to be an overwhelming success."

Another way the Top 4 recognizes Airmen is through the Hard Charger Program. Nominees compete for the honor among other base organizations. Winners are recognized and coined by the wing command chief.

The organization also offers a Sharp Troop recognition program. Supervisors can nominate Airmen for the honor. Nominees don't compete and are recognized and coined in their unit by the Top 4.

Although mostly for Airmen recognition and mentoring, the Top 4 also offers something for senior NCOs from the wing and other services on base. The organization has 14 separate programs for them to get involved in.

"What I enjoy most is working with other Top 4 members and being involved with base activities and events," said Sergeant Lester, a Rowland, N.C., native. "(The Top 4 offers) a chance to work and get to know your peers, share ideas, issues and possible solutions."

For more information on Top 4 programs or membership, visit https://intranet.auab.afcent.af.mil/organizations/Top4/ or call 437-2428.