Linebacker of the Week: SrA Ard Published Dec. 16, 2021 By Senior Airman Aubree Owens 36th Wing Public Affairs ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Aakira Ard from the 36th Civil Engineer Squadron was recognized as the 36th Wing’s second Team Andersen Linebacker of the Week! The Team Andersen Linebacker of the Week recognizes outstanding enlisted, officer, civilian and total force personnel who have had an impact on achieving Team Andersen’s Mission, Vision and Priorities. Ard’s main responsibilities as a customer service technician are validating scheduled work and in-house repairs for Andersen AFB, to include Northwest Field, which is a 1,700 acre airfield with parallel 11,000 foot long runways. “I joined the Air Force a few years ago to honor a family tradition, since my grandmother served in the Air Force years back,” said Ard. “I wanted to join the military because of the life experience I could gain by traveling, training and continuing my education.” Recognized by her supervisor, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Kamilah Dublin noncommissioned officer in charge of customer service with the 36 CES, Ard has been a part of Team Andersen since May 2021 and she hit the ground running by excelling in her primary duties as well as taking on the role of the base facility manager. This task requires coordinating with 60 facility managers for 900 buildings worth 1.6 billion dollars, and her team of five personnel are responsible for tracking over 1,400 work tasks annually. “Senior Airman Ard has taken initiative the moment she got here from Kadena Air Base,” Dublin said. “Not only does she step up to any challenge, but she’s also just very knowledgeable and is key to making this office run.” Her outstanding work ethic directly contributed to nine shops within the 36 CES Operations Flight to achieve an overall 86 percent work-task completion rate for mission sustainment of 42 units, protecting two billion dollars in aircraft assets and enabling completion of 14 thousand sorties every year. Ard is more than just a high-performer in her primary duties, she also participates in her squadron’s booster club, resiliency training planning, Andersen’s first four council, while attending school and developing herself. Ard is a prime example of embodying the whole Airman concept in and out of uniform. “The way this base operates is very different than my last base,” Ard said. “I’ve enjoyed being at Andersen for the past six months, and I am excited to take my experiences from Kadena and implement them here to continue making procedures run smoothly.” The term Linebacker is rooted deep within Team Andersen’s history. Operation Linebacker II took place on Dec. 18, 1972, and was the largest number of heavy bomber strikes launched by the U.S. Air Force since the end of World War II. During the operation, B-52s from Andersen flew round-the-clock bombing missions over North Vietnam to destroy major targets in Hanoi and Haiphong in an effort to bring the Democratic Republic of Vietnam back to negotiations. The recipient will have the opportunity to sign a “Linebacker” football jersey that will be displayed in the Wing Headquarters building. Great work, Airman Ard!