Warrior of the Week: Senior Airman Bryce Pagel

  • Published
  • By 376th Air Expeditionary Wing
  • Public Affairs
TRANSIT CENTER AT MANAS, Kyrgyzstan --  Every week, a member of the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing is selected as the Warrior of the Week. This individual is recognized based on outstanding performance, good conduct, work ethic and most importantly, for a job well done.

Meet the Warrior of the Week -- Senior Airman Bryce Pagel is a 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Contracting Squadron contracting officer from Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D. He is a native of Houston, Texas.

Here's what Pagel had to say about himself and his deployment.

What do you do on a daily basis at the Transit Center?
I am responsible for the contract administration and management of 12 service contracts, valued at approx. $16.5 million; to include: cell phone services, custodial, morale net Wi-Fi, and ensuring the steady supply of fuel for tent heaters across the Transit Center at Manas. I am also responsible for the purchases made against 10 Blanket Purchase Agreements; $3.4 million purchased in diesel fuel alone.

What do you enjoy about being at the Transit Center?
I enjoy feeling that I'm necessary for this mission, and that I'm a valuable member of the TCM. I also enjoy the hospitality of the Kyrgyz people, and learning about the culture and livelihood that is so different from my own. Being a part of it has been a wonderful experience that I do not take for granted.

Why did you choose to serve in the military?
To provide better opportunities for my wife and family, and to better myself beyond what I could do on my own in regards to good education, powerful job skills, and rich life experiences.

How do you feel about your contributions to the Transit Center mission and current operations in the AOR?
I know that my responsibilities have a direct impact on the continuing mission, and I'm proud that I've done everything I can to keep the mission of the Transit Center strong in our support of troops in Afghanistan.

Family: Married 4 years, two children: 3-year old son, and a 1-year old daughter.

Time at the Transit Center: 2 months as of Christmas day.

Time in military: 2-years, 5-months.

Greatest accomplishment: Marriage to my wife, my children's births and completing my CCAF as an A1C.

Goals you want to achieve or meet while at the TCM: To depart the Transit Center knowing there is nothing more I could have done, and to be prepared to test for Staff Sergeant upon return to Grand Forks AFB.

Hobbies: Reading and personal education through various subjects, and meeting new people.

Your best habit: Learning as much as I can before making a decision.

Favorite Quote: "We are all connected to each other biologically, to the earth chemically and to the rest of the universe atomically," Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Favorite movies: Contact, V for Vendetta, Fight Club, various documentaries.

Who is your favorite mentor and what did you learn from him/her:
The astrophysicist Carl Sagan, his books taught me more about the world and our universe than any other.
My father, who taught me to treat everyone, even those who hate you, with a smile and as a friend.

If you could spend one hour with any person, who would it be and why:
The astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. He is so passionate and genuine in his love for humankind and science that any room he walks into is filled with that presence. He may be one of the most intelligent people on this earth today, but he spends his time talking to people, to share the passion that he has, and conversing with those that may, to someone more prideful, be a waste of his time.