Warrior of the Week: Staff Sgt. Monica Bachelor

  • Published
  • By Airman Derek VanHorn
  • 319th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  For those who have been living under a rock the past few months, Grand Forks Air Force Base flew its last KC-135 Stratotanker off the base in December to declare its mission complete after 50 years of operations.

In the time that has since followed, the Warriors of the North have kept busy at work all while coordinating the preparation for the arrival of the Global Hawk, an unmanned aerial vehicle used for long-duration reconnaissance missions that is scheduled to arrive early this summer.

An Airman key to ensuring smooth transition is Staff Sgt. Monica Bachelor, Air Combat Command Detachment 1 Knowledge Operations Manager. Sergeant Bachelor's duties range from in-processing all ACC Airmen to serving as the Information Assurance Officer for the detachment.

"The best part of the job is helping customers and leaving them satisfied," said Bachelor. "On an average day we have a handful of Airmen coming to the base who need assistance, and we are in charge of setting up their accounts, establishing their in-processing checklist and settling them into the area."

Sergeant Bachelor has served seven years in the Air Force, and began work here in December. It appears as if her arrival was only a matter of time.

"I was actually originally stationed here coming out of tech school before I switched with an Airman who wanted to be close to home in Minnesota," she said. "Everyone here is excited about bringing in the new mission; it is kind of like a new beginning."

Bachelor hails from Mississippi, and joked that she didn't know what cold was until she stepped foot in Grand Forks. But the cold won't stop her from pursuing her ultimate career goal and dream job.

"I would love to become a pediatric or mental health nurse," she said. "In the next two or three years I plan to commission with hopes to be a military nurse."

Outside of work Sergeant Bachelor enjoys reading urban novels and is a basketball fan, preferably of the Miami Heat. Heat is something that fuels her drive to travel in the future.

"I would love to visit South and Central America," said Bachelor. "It would be fun to visit one of those exotic vacation spots we all see on television."

And when it comes to television, Bachelor enjoys following reality TV shows such as Survivor and The Amazing Race. She also is the owner of a German Shepherd mix 'Chewbacca', who is on his way to come live with her in Grand Forks.