Warrior of the Week: Staff Sgt. Jere Ross

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Susan L. Davis
  • 319th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AFB, N.D. --  Rank and name: Staff Sgt. Jere Ross

Unit: 319th Air Base Wing Chapel

Duty title: NCOIC, Resource Management

Time in service: 8 years, 6 months

Hometown: Rochester, Mich.

Age: 28


Why is serving in the Air Force important to you?

I get to learn about and experience Airmen of all different backgrounds from all over the nation. Plus we get to travel and experience cultures from all over the world and see life through their eyes--something I know many of my civilian friends have never had the opportunity to do.

What moment or accomplishment as a Warrior of the North are you most proud of and why?

I've recently had the opportunity to provide care for a couple of our families with ill infant children. Although these situations were painful to handle, I love being able to provide care to our families.

What is your favorite part of your job?

Because it's such a small career field, there's a real "jack-of-all-trades" aspect of the job. There are only two chaplain assistants here at Grand Forks and we're responsible for all chapel logistics including computers, facilities, program management, funding, wing and major command taskers, advertising, etc. In addition, we team up with our chaplains to provide for the spiritual care of our Airmen in a variety of ways. All of these responsibilities guarantee diversity in each day--keeps life spicy.

Who inspires you and why?

Senior Master Sgt. Kevin Bradt- my convoy commander during my second deployment. He was by far the best senior NCO I've ever met--the kind that you WANT to follow as opposed to HAVE to follow. As a senior Airman, he empowered me to do my job and he never questioned my judgment when a decision had to be made. He showed the value of investing yourself into your team which made his job a whole lot easier.