Tyndall to honor fallen comrade

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Rachelle Elsea
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Every enlisted member of the Armed Forces takes an oath stating they will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that they will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that they will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over them, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

For some this means paying the ultimate price.

Senior Master Sgt. Sherry Olds is one of thousands of Airmen who have sacrificed their lives in order to protect the country they selflessly dedicated themselves to.

On Aug. 7, 1998, Sergeant Olds was working in the U.S. Embassy Air Force Element Security Assistance as the Chief of Information Management in Nairobi, Kenya.

"It was a two-year assignment, and she even extended because she enjoyed it so much," said Ron Hartzer, Air Force Civil Engineer Center historian.

She was one of twelve American victims taken by a terrorist bombing at the embassy that day. Sergeant Olds was just 56 days shy of reaching 20 years of service in the U.S. Air Force.

"She had just gone through Senior NCO Academy a few weeks before her return to Kenya," Hartzer said. "I'm sure she planned to stay in the Air Force. I have no doubt that she would have made chief master sergeant. I think she loved the Air Force because it allowed her to do what she did best--organizing things."

Prior to her assignment to Kenya, she spent several years at Tyndall.

We all joked that she ran the command section at Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency, added Hartzer.

"She took pride in being in the Air Force," said Mike Burns, MacAuley Brown, Inc., program manager and Air Force retired chief master sergeant. "I think her last year or so at AFCESA coincided with release of the 'Little Blue Book' of core values--Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do. Sherry was way ahead of that and was already exhibiting that level of professional character. She was very comfortable being a role model in professional appearance, conduct and job performance."

Born July 16, 1958, Sergeant Olds was also a native of Panama City, Fla.

She graduated from Mosley High School in 1976 and began attending Gulf Coast Community College while working at Captain Anderson's restaurant. Two short years later, she enlisted in the Air Force, Oct. 2, 1978, following in her father's footsteps.

Sergeant Olds spent her career at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Tyndall, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., and Osan Air Base, South Korea.

In 1986, she returned to Tyndall and spent the next twelve years supporting several base agencies to include the 23rd Air Division as an administrative specialist, the Air Defense Weapons as the protocol administrator and NCO in charge, the Air Force Engineering and Service Center as the chief of executive service and the Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency as chief of the executive support branch.

"I think she stayed at Tyndall to be close to her family," said Hartzer, who arrived at Tyndall in 1985 and knew Sergeant Olds very well. "She was fortunate to have the opportunity to work at various jobs here on base and stay in the local area, but she was really excited to be going to Kenya."

Sergeant Olds was extremely well-liked by the people who worked alongside her.

"Sherry was the ultimate wingman," said Mike Burns. "AFCESA was a high-visibility organization with frequent visits from flag rank officers, under secretaries, and other VIPs. Sherry ran Protocol and always managed every event and every detail flawlessly. She found creative ways to make every event exceptional and memorable. The best thing though, was you just never had to worry about anything falling through the cracks in her area and that allowed the commander and I to concentrate on other things."

Hartzer echoed his sentiment.

"Sherry was a wonderful person to work with," Hartzer said. "She had a great sense of humor and treated everyone as special even when she was busy with a project. Sherry was the most professional person I have ever met in my nearly 30-year career in the Air Force.

"Her uniform was always impeccable, and her demeanor was always calm," said Hartzer. "She excelled at her job. We had some personnel reductions during her time at AFCESA and Sherry ended up doing the work that three people previously did. Sherry was one of those rare people that you could ask to do something and then just forget about it, because she would take care of it and do it much better than you ever could."

The embassy job was perfect for her, he added.

"She was the most professional NCO I've ever worked with," Burns said. "We were in an organization where every person was hand-picked for the assignment and she was without a doubt our top performer in every category--personal appearance, job performance, unit morale activities, support for Tyndall community programs--she was simply the model for professional standards."

Sergeant Olds received the Purple Heart, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal posthumously for her service to her country.

"Sherry deserved only the best because she was the best and that is what she gave the Air Force every day of her career," Hartzer said.

Tyndall will honor Sergeant Olds' legacy with a room dedication 11 a.m. March 12 at the Horizons Community Activity Center.