AFCESA Sergeant wins DOD award

  • Published
  • By Tanya Schiller
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The 2008 Military Fire Officer of the Year Award was awarded to one of Team Tyndall's own Aug. 26 at the Department of Defense Fire and Emergency Services Training Conference in Dallas. 

Master Sgt. David Clifford, a Career Development Course author with the Air Force Civil Engineering Squadron, was selected by the International Association of Fire Chiefs, who are comprised of civilian firefighters, for the award. 

All military branches competed for this honor. Sergeant Clifford was chosen out of approximately 11,000 eligible candidates. 

"I don't know why I won. It's kind of humbling," said Sergeant Clifford. But his accomplishments prove otherwise. 

Sergeant Clifford has been at Tyndall for almost four years, and is the author of 25 CDC books. 

"We probably have the most CDC's of any career field and largest enrollment because we encompass all of DoD," he said. "Right now I have 8,000 enrolled." 

But it was his trip to Balad Air Base, Iraq, that he feels not only helped his chances at winning, but was also the highlight of his career. 

"I deployed last year and went to Balad for four months," said MSgt. Clifford. "I served as the Deputy Fire Chief at a Joint Fire Department between the Air Force and the Army." 

Jim Podolske, Air Force Fire and Emergency Services Program Manager with AFCESA and Sergeant Clifford's boss, believed him to be a strong candidate. 

"He was 'superman' when he deployed. We joked about him being on the (news) all the time," said Mr. Podolske. 

To top off his accomplishments, he also received recognition from the civil engineering career field. 

"I had a good year," he said. "I also won the Major General Gilbert Award, which is outstanding to action officer headquarters level for the enlisted category." 

Even though Sergeant Clifford is modest about his achievements, others, including his supevisor, see him in a different light. 

"People came up to me personally and thanked me for David, for the work he had done and the help he had given them," said. Mr. Podolske. "Even if he hadn't won, we wanted him to know what we thought of him."