Southwest Asia -- Editor’s note:
The Rock Solid Warrior program is a way to recognize and spotlight the Airmen of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing for their positive impact and commitment to the mission.
I am Senior Airman Kalen Diaz, a 386th Expeditionary Contracting Squadron contracting officer. My home unit is the 99th Contracting Squadron based out of Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
As a contracting officer, I oversee and manage government funded purchases for units on base ranging from $50 to $5 million. Purchases may include machine equipment and parts, tools and basic supplies for infrastructure projects. I also coordinate contracts for large construction projects throughout the installation.
The most rewarding part of the mission here is getting to see the end result. It is great to see that the requests coming through our office contributes to the big Air Force mission.
The biggest challenge I face here is the lack of customer and contractor knowledge. With deployments we always have new members trying to learn our processes for the first time, and that requires substantial training and guidance. The frequent turnover adds to this as well. I overcome this challenge by remembering to be patient, starting with the basics when conducting training, and understanding that my customers and project managers need my guidance.
Professionally, my goals are to continue to learn and excel at my job, and to promote to the next rank. My personal goals are to provide the best life I can for my family and to buy my first home sometime next year. I am also working toward a degree in business which I hope to accomplish within the next two years.
In my off-time, I enjoy playing basketball, running and playing Madden.
I decided to join the air Force with the guidance of my dad and grandfather. I saw military service as an opportunity to do something good. The Air Force has helped me in many ways and has exposed me to the contracting world which I am interested in pursuing after my military career. Overall, I’m grateful.