Warrior of the Week: 2nd Lt. Emily Schultz

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Desiree Economides
  • 319th Air Base Wing
Name: 2nd Lt. Emily Schultz

Unit: 10th Space Warning Squadron

Duty Title: Crew Commander

Time in Service: 8 years, 2 months; 7 years, 4 months as an enlisted Bioenvironmental Engineering Technician

Time on Station: 6 months

Hometown: Fence, Wisconsin

Why is serving in the Air Force important to you?
There is no other military like the United States military. The Air Force especially is coined as the "greatest Air Force in the world". To be a part of an excellent and prestigious organization, such as this one, is important to me. Furthermore, it is important to me to be part of an organization that is professional and progressive. Since I enlisted many years ago, I have travelled the world and I have worked with people from all walks of life, all ages, races, religions, national origins, sexual orientations, etc. and yet I have never taken issue with anyone. We have all been able to pull together to work towards a common goal, the mission, and to take care of the most important resource, the people. I look at some of the things going on in America recently and it saddens me. I can't help but thinking the American people could learn a thing or two from the current military microcosm.

What moment or accomplishment as a Warrior of the North are you most proud of and why?
In my opinion, anyone can have one great moment or one great accomplishment, but what folks should be most proud of are the little things they accomplish every day because it's the little things that matter and it's consistency that's key. I am proud every shift, for example, when I accomplish all of my shift duties and I set the next crew up for success. I am proud when I finish taskers, or meet training deadlines well before the suspense, because I know it makes life easier for our leadership and reflects positively on our unit, small things like that really add up.

What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of being a Space Operations Officer is the knowledge that what I do allows the American people to feel safe, and to go about their daily pursuit of enjoying life. Our missile warning mission provides a safety net, and our spacetrack mission ensures that thousands of satellites which provide everything from weather information to GPS to satellite TV continue to orbit and operate as intended.

Who or what inspires you and why?
My family and my fellow Airmen inspire me every day. I am blessed to have a family, especially a husband and parents, who are supportive of me and proud of what I do. They inspire me to keep doing what I am doing. My fellow Airmen inspire me as well. I really admire the level of integrity, and excellence I see displayed on a daily basis.

What's the first thing that made you think Cavalier Air Force Station was a cool place other than the temperature or weather?
When my husband and I first arrived on station, we were driving past the community activity center when we noticed the sign out front read "Welcome Lt & Mr. Schultz to Cavalier AFS".  I had seen these types of welcome messages before, at other bases, but not usually for anyone below the rank of colonel! Right then I knew that Cavalier was a cool place, with a unique mission, and people that care for one another. In case you were wondering, by the way, they make sure the welcome sign is updated for every new member that arrives on station.

Do you have any military service family members or anyone close to you that has served? If so when and where did they serve?
My maternal grandfather served in the Army during WWII. He was deployed to the Pacific and faced much adversity there. I don't know all the details, since he didn't really like to talk about it, but I know at one point his transport ship was sunk and he spent a few days adrift at sea battling sharks and hypothermia. He also contracted a bad case of malaria and came really close to death when a land mine detonated near his position.  As a child, I remember seeing the dark pieces of shrapnel still embedded in the back of his neck and thinking he was so brave for all he had endured.