4th Fighter Wing Airman wins 9th Air Force award

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Marissa Tucker
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  A senior noncommissioned officer here earned a 9th Air Force outstanding performer award at Langley Air Force Base, Va., March 5.

A drive to get the job done led Senior Master Sgt. Sonya Mayo, 4th Force Support Squadron, to earn the Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year award, for both the 9th Air Force competition.

The award was not only a major accomplishment for her, but a pleasant surprise.

"Usually, you don't see a lot of personnelists winning annual awards, so I was very shocked when they called my name," Sergeant Mayo said.

As the superintendent of the military personnel section here, Sergeant Mayo manages various information systems to ensure the career records of the wings Airmen are properly maintained.

The Air Force mission has evolved over time and Sergeant Mayo -- not one to be left behind the power curve -- has changed right along with it. Not always a personnelist, she began her Air Force career as a security forces Airman in April of 1988.

"I loved being a cop," she said. "Women in security forces were relatively new when I came in, but I knew it was for me."

In 1996, Sergeant Mayo retrained into the personnel career field finding she had an apparent knack for the job.

"When she won the awards, I wasn't surprised at all," said Staff Sgt. Nicholas Ferebee, who works closely with Sergeant Mayo. "She really is an exceptional noncommissioned officer."

Leading others in adapting to change is also a part of the job, Sergeant Mayo said. February 2008 brought the formation of the 4th Force Support Squadron, the largest squadron on base. The squadron includes career-enhancement services such as the base education center, organizational and information management flights, Airmen and family services, sustainment services and community services.

Combining the different flights all under one chain-of-command could not have gone smoothly without the guidance from senior leadership, Sergeant Mayo said.

"The more we educate, the more the resistance will be gone," she said. "For some, it's hard to cope with the change of something that's been the same way for years, but you have to keep up with the times."

The 4th FSS was the first Air Combat Command combined squadron to complete a unit compliance inspection, which validates the squadrons ability to meet its core requirements. Through Sergeant Mayo's contributions, the military personnel section earned two honorable mentions for their unique product innovations team, which improves office operations in the section, and an online database that provides important documents to commanders that would otherwise take days to produce.

Other than creating a relaxed and productive work environment, she is very knowledgeable about the job, Sergeant Ferebee said.

Sergeant Mayo continues to be a role model to both Airmen and noncommissioned officers she works with.

"I have learned a lot from her since I've been here," he said. "She has so much experience and she is very family oriented, so I can come to her with just about anything and I know she can help."