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Air Force instructor wins Army 1st Brigade Instructor of the Year

  • Published
  • By Kimberly Dagdag
  • 82d Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  For Tech. Sgt. David Carr it seemed unlikely that an Air Force instructor could win an Army award, but this year he did just that after being named the Army 1st Brigade Instructor of the Year at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

Assigned to the 364th Training Squadron Detachment 1 at Fort Leonard Wood, part of the 782nd Training Wing based at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, Carr earned the award for his outstanding work educating Airmen, Soldiers and Sailors in Pavements and Equipment.

"The biggest challenge I face as an instructor is training students of different backgrounds and skill levels," said Carr. "Each student in my three-person small group or 50-plus person classroom learns differently."

Carr joined the Air Force in March 2001 and his Air Force career has taken him all over the world; from his first duty station at Travis AFB, Calif., to several overseas deployments to Southwest Asia and South Korea.

The sergeant began his career at Fort Leonard Wood where he trained to be a Pavements and Construction Equipment operator. Now he has the opportunity to train and inspire as an instructor.

"Training people has always been a passion of mine, being able to take my knowledge and pass it on to others and watching them progress is a big reward for me," Carr said.

While Carr enjoys working in a joint environment because of the impact he has on all branches of service, his time at Fort Leonard Wood will come to an end in May of next year as he heads back to the field in Vandenberg AFB, Calif.

"The part I enjoy about working in the joint environment is knowing that I am having a bigger impact on the military than just the Air Force," he said. "Each week I have the opportunity to train Air Force, Army, and Navy students."

Carr, a member of the Interservice Training Review Organization who previously won at the monthly and quarterly award levels, will go on to compete at the installation level. If he wins there Carr will compete at the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command level at Fort Houston, Va. Results for the installation level are scheduled for release in late October.