June 26, 2012
by Robert Talenti
Robins Air Force Base Public Affairs
6/26/2012 – ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFNS) — Master Sgt. H. Mylo Gibson II, 51st Combat Communications Squadron, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is this year’s Air Force First Sergeant of the Year. Gibson has been serving in the Air Force for more than 20 years, and has been a first sergeant for the past two.
“I became a first sergeant to take care of people and to continue a motto taken from Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.: ‘Manly deeds, scholarship and love for all mankind’,” said Gibson. “My wife, Fenitra, inspires me to take care of people and said the job is my calling.”
There were many people who have helped him become a first sergeant along the way. “Chief Master Sgt. Ron Draper was a driving force in my desires to be a first sergeant. He saw qualities way, he added.
“Chief Master Sgt. Ron Draper was a driving force in my desires to be a first sergeant. He saw qualities in me that reflected the wear of the diamond,” said Gibson. “Chief Master Sgt. Shawn Wise, a former first sergeant, also sharpened my skills as a first sergeant.”
“I am very proud of Master Sergeant Gibson; it is always a great thing when the Air Force gets it right! No one cares more about the troops than Mylo does; I see it every day the way he interacts with them,” said Maj. R. Eric Schmidt, 51st Combat Communications Squadron commander. “He takes great pride in everything he does, and I could not be prouder to have him as our first sergeant. He is our ‘shiny penny’!”
One of his Airmen put it best by echoing the sentiments of their commander. “Master Sergeant Gibson is a great shirt. He has high intensity and high impact to always help his Airmen,” said Senior Airman John Adams, 51st CBCS Radio Frequency Transmissions Systems Technician. “He truly inspires me to do the same for others!”
The title First Sergeant of the Year is awarded to deserving first sergeants who truly display the meaning of wearing the diamond.
“I am both honored and humbled by this award. It is a tremendous responsibility to be an Air Force first sergeant, one that I take very seriously. The sheer job satisfaction that comes with helping an Airman in distress or helping them get their careers back on track is very hard to quantify, but I see it in the faces of my Airmen on a daily basis,” said Gibson. “I am also thrilled to have the opportunity to represent first sergeants across the Air Force.”