22nd SFS civilian wins AF award: unit’s fifth consecutive winning year

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Erin McClellan
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  Ken Chrapkowski, 22nd Security Forces Squadron deputy security officer, won the 2016 Outstanding Security Forces Support Staff Civilian of the Year award at the Air Force level.

The award encourages outstanding individual achievement and performance and is based on duty accomplishments, career-oriented self-improvement efforts and participation in military and civilian activities.

In his role as the deputy security officer, Chrapkowski works with the operations officer to ensure operations run smoothly and that the Airmen in the unit have all the resources, personnel and instruction they need to complete their duties. In the absence of the operations officer, he steps into the role himself. He also fills in to represent the squadron at meetings and events when the commander is unavailable.

“For me, [the award] is a reflection on the unit,” he said. “We’ve got another 40 civilians within this unit that would have been fantastic representatives; I was just the fortunate one who was selected. My name could be off the plaque, and I’d be just as happy if it said ‘22nd Security Forces Squadron.’”

Chrapkowski’s win makes this the fifth consecutive year that a member of the squadron won an Air Force level award. Previous winners include Robert Lang, currently the 22nd SFS lead trainer, Matt Scally, former 22nd SFS police officer, Staff Sgt. Amanda Robbins, now a 22nd SFS dispatcher, and Shawn Kennedy, 22nd SFS police supervisor.

“One of the things I don’t think gets a lot of credit is the unit itself,” said Chrapkowski. “I’ve been doing this for 35 years and I’ve not seen a singular unit win five consecutive years at the Air Force level. To me, that’s pretty significant.”

Chrapkowski’s hard work is recognized by the Airmen he works with.

“When Mr. C walks into a room, everything gets better,” said Maj. John Farmer, 22nd SFS commander. “He is a trusted mentor for everyone in the unit. He led this unit during a historically high operations tempo and successfully prepared the unit for critical inspections. He achieved this feat while military leadership was either deployed or newly assigned, and the unit never missed a beat. He is a true Defender.”