Getting to Know You Published July 14, 2015 By Staff Reports Robins Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- The "Getting to Know You" column is a weekly feature in the Robins Rev-Up. It provides an inside look at the members of Team Robins who ensure that "Success Here equals Success There!" Airman 1st Class Siri Lerum Unit: 461st Air Control Networks Squadron Job Title: Cyber Surety Apprentice Time in service: 1 year Hometown: Ramstein, Germany What does your work involve at Robins? I'm training to be a wing communications security accountant and an alternate security manager for my squadron. What do you enjoy most about your work? The attention to detail and the level of responsibility, definitely. You have a very real expectation to provide a seamlessly secure realm, and it feels good to be able to create something like that. How does your work contribute to the Robins mission? My work is primarily for JSTARS. Much of the 461st will require the ability to work in a secured location on sensitive materials - all of which are necessary for a successful JSTARS mission. Inbound personnel will need to be in-processed, their clearances verified and given access to those secure environments and equipment. I would be the one to guide them through that process and assist the COMSEC manager in disseminating and issuing COMSEC materials we receive for our subaccounts. What prompted your interest in your current career field? My career field is cyber surety actually, and COMSEC is a very small part of that. I actually knew next to nothing about computers a year ago. Linguistics were always my strong suite having lived abroad, but it really bothered me that my 9-year-old cousin at the time could repair my computer when I'd come home to visit. The information age was advancing at the speed of light, and I wanted to be a part of it. Who has been the biggest influence in your life? My family has had a tremendous impact on me. My sister and I are Air Force 'brats.' That being said, my parents have an outstanding work ethic and made sure we understood the importance of setting aside time for family, and for recouping - the whole 'work hard, play hard' concept. Their service in the Air Force afforded us the opportunities to meet so many people from different cultures, go to German middle schools, then American high schools, and eventually see all the places we learned about in our classes. My sister Kari, the youngest Lerum, and I graduated, and realized our parents instilled in us yet another gift - the call to serve. Kari and I walked into the recruiter's office at Ramstein AFB, Germany, to start the process. We raised our right hands, as did my dad, and he said, "Repeat after me." Since then, there's been a recent addition to the list of influential women in my life. Up until Kari and I joined, my mother had that spot pretty much covered. She is a retired lieutenant colonel and has six degrees. What is something people would be surprised to know about you? Usually people raise the eyebrows when they find out I have a Master of Arts degree. What is an accomplishment of which you are most proud? That PT test! Just kidding. Definitely becoming financially secure and completely providing for myself. That's a huge step in anyone's life, but I was in school for so long, that it seems even that much more pronounced of a landmark in my timeline.