Nellis Airman wins DoD-level award Published Aug. 9, 2011 By 1st Lt. Laura Balch Nellis Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- A Nellis Airman won the 2011 Bob Baker Fleet Manager of the Year Award for Small Vehicle Fleet July 27, 2011, at a ceremony in Orlando, Fla. Tech. Sgt. Tetsuo Douglas, 820th RED HORSE Squadron NCO in charge of vehicle management and analysis, was chosen because of his exceptional skills and abilities in the Federal motor vehicle fleet management profession. "I am absolutely honored that I was even submitted for this award," Douglas said. "Throughout my entire career, I've always thought awards and recognitions like this were given to others, not to me. It's all a bit overwhelming. I am not used to being in any type of spotlight." Douglas' main responsibilities here at Nellis include: leading eight Airmen, managing 294 heavy construction vehicles and equipment valued at over $36 million, overseeing the workload control for nine sections, guiding repair decisions, making key priority buy inputs, and controlling the serviceability and readiness of 19 nuclear certified assets. Douglas also manages the 119-piece chemical biological radiological nuclear high yield explosive (CBRNE) consequence management response force vehicle fleet, which allows 820th RED HORSE personnel to support civil authorities in the event of a CBRNE attack within the continental United States. While his accomplishments at home are impressive in and of themselves, Douglas has also made a lasting impression overseas. "I think my recent deployment to Iraq stands out and may have played a big role in my being recognized with this award," Douglas said. "I had great senior enlisted leadership and teamwork with my co-workers, which enabled us to move RED HORSE entirely out of Iraq. We all worked extremely hard and moved tons of cargo, equipment and vehicles out of the country within a six-month period." During this deployment, which was in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, Douglas' responsibilities included managing 153 government vehicles valued at $13.4 million that were located across four forward operation bases. Thanks to his creativity and efficiency, Douglas was able to save thousands of dollars on various projects while expediting processes, enabling him and his team to finish numerous jobs more quickly than scheduled. As Douglas completed operations within Iraq, he volunteered for transfer to Afghanistan in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Upon arrival, he immediately initiated plans for a theater-wide fleet review. In 30 days, he inspected the condition, utilization and suitability of 300 vehicles dispersed across 120,000 square miles of heavily-contested territory. His insight assisted with multiple reallocations of critical construction and combat support equipment and enabled 73 projects valued at $67.9 million to come to a close. Since returning from deployment, Douglas has continued working hard and has enjoyed being a part of the 820th RED HORSE team. "I have served in the Air Force for 19 years," Douglas said. "I enjoy my job and my hope is that, when I retire, I can continue my career in vehicle management as a civilian. For the moment, I am honored to have won this award, but I've always felt that anything I've accomplished was due to teamwork and good leadership. Thank you to all who have helped me along the way."
