Robins weather officer nets Air Force award Published May 2, 2008 By Amanda Creel 78th ABW/PA Robins Air Force Base, Ga. -- For one 78th Operations Support Squadron Airman, a phone call and the shock factor of earning an Air Force level award made him think he was the victim of a practical joke. "I thought it was a prank," said Tech. Sgt. Brad Godwin, assistant NCO in charge of the weather operations flight. It was Tech. Sgt. Jeff Hall, a fellow instructor from Sergeant Goodwin's days at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., who made the call breaking the good news he had been named the 2007 Air Force Noncommissioned Weather Officer of the Year. "I told him to quit pulling my chain," Sergeant Godwin said. However, it wasn't long before e-mails began to flood his inbox and the official word came that the Sergeant had been selected for the Air Force level award. The phone call may have thrown Sergeant Godwin a curve ball, but his selection was no surprise to his coworkers. "He finally got the recognition he deserved," said Capt. Hank Chilcoat, acting commander of the weather flight. "Without a shadow of a doubt, he is one of the best NCOs I've seen pass through here," said Roddy Nixon, senior aviation meteorologist. "Weather is a science and is something you have to have a deep-seated passion for. What Brad brings to the game is some of the most sincere dedication I've seen." His coworkers agreed he is always willing to meet any challenge and can always be found working to improve their flight. Sergeant Godwin said one of his pet peeves is someone saying 'we have always done it that way.' "I was taught to always strive to do a little bit more than you were paid to do," he said. Sergeant Godwin said he is always looking for a better and more efficient way to do the tasks he is responsible for. "I can't sit still. I have ideas popping in my head. Eighty percent of them don't work, but the 20 percent that do are good," Sergeant Godwin said. One of the many ideas from the past year that became a reality included making weather information more readily available to members of the Robins community through the weather Web site. While in Iraq from January until May of 2007, Sergeant Godwin designed a training class for the Iraqi air force to help their pilots gain basic weather knowledge. He also brought his expertise from working with the Web site here to give troops at the forward operating base similar access to weather conditions as they happened. "He took the initiative and improved the services weather provides -- not just here at Robins but in Iraq during his deployment," said Master Sgt. Thomas Wenger, Operations Flight NCO in charge. However, the sergeant doesn't just take time to aid the Air Force's mission through weather services. He spent time during the last year working to help train Airmen preparing to deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan through the Battlefield Airmen program. "He has had the opportunity not just to focus on his job, but obstacles outside his job. It makes him a valuable asset," Sergeant Wenger said. Sergeant Godwin said he wouldn't have been able to accomplish any of the things that lead to his selection with out the support and understanding of his wife, Amy; his son, Andrew, 8 and his daughter, Anna, 4. He also attributes a lot of his success to his coworkers in the flight. "I work for an excellent team. Nothing I did would have been possible without them," he said. He said April was one of the luckiest months of his life. In addition to winning an Air Force award, he also netted a new rifle in a drawing.