AFMAO team member named technician of the year

  • Published
  • By Maj. Jennifer Piggott
  • AFMAO Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  The hard work and dedication of the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations team was highlighted through the 2013 Manpower, Personnel and Services Headquarters Awards Program when a mortuary specialist received the Staff Level, Technician Award of the Year March 26.

"I feel extremely honored to be recognized exclusively for this award among so many hard working professionals at AFMAO," said Christopher Schulze, mortuary specialist, AFMAO, the award recipient.

Air Force-level awards recognize Air Force officers, enlisted, federal civilian employees, teams and units for sustained superior performance in manpower, personnel and services from October 2012 through September 2013.

"This is a huge accomplishment for Chris and reflects on the entire AFMAO team," said Col. John Devillier, AFMAO commander. "Awards like this are indicative of the level of respect our chain of command has for what we all do behind the scenes at AFMAO."

Last year was a very busy year for Schulze where he provided mortuary assistance with dignity, honor and respect to 154 fallen heroes, touching the lives of more than 1,000 families and friends of the fallen. His proven leadership and job performance resulted in Schulze being selected by 10 wing commanders to oversee active-duty deaths, ensuring that 10 of our nation's Airmen were provided proper military funeral honors. He executed a budget of more than $670,000 and coordinated a funeral honor database that modernized the tracking system for more than 30,000 active military members, retirees and veterans. Additionally, he trained more than 100 mortuary officers and technicians, with 12 different lesson plans, ensuring 60 different Air Force wings were prepared for the critical mortuary mission.

"I wouldn't sum up my accomplishments in 2013 in a single instance or achievement; rather, it was a daily continuous effort in keeping with our mission of dignity, honor and respect afforded not only to the deceased but also to each and every person I work," said Schulze. "In my opinion, we cannot show dignity, honor and respect to anyone unless we practice it among ourselves."