JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas -- On a visit to the 359th Aerospace Medicine Squadron Aerospace and Operational Physiology Flight at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph the morning of Feb. 15, the 359th Medical Group commander provided a technical sergeant who serves as the flight’s chief with news he truly was not expecting.
Col. Wayne Peters offered his congratulations to Tech. Sgt. Joseph Santiago, informing him he had been selected by the Air Force Medical Service as the 2018 Air Force Aerospace and Operational Physiology NCO of the Year.
“I had no idea his visit was for this,” he said of Peters’ appearance at building 747 that morning. “I was surprised, definitely, but it was a good surprise.”
It was also a good surprise to Santiago’s wife, Melissa, who was asked to come to the flight but was as unaware as her husband that he had earned this prestigious award.
“She was hiding in back, but she didn’t know what she was here for,” Santiago said.
Peters’ announcement was not a surprise to other members of the flight, including Maj. Danielle Tuttle, 359th AMDS Aerospace and Operational Physiology Flight commander, who nominated Santiago for the award.
“I am so incredibly excited for him,” she said. “Traits that Tech. Sgt. Santiago brings to his job are humility and energy like no other flight chief.”
Among Santiago’s accomplishments are securing $80,000 worth of contracts for the flight’s night-vision-goggle course, $250,000 in building modifications and new memorandums of understanding with training units, Tuttle said.
“He has done this all while balancing family life, too,” she said. “He is incredibly well-rounded.”
Santiago said his work ethic contributes to his success, but he emphasized that the 18 enlisted members he supervises helped make his award possible.
“Everybody had a part in this,” he said. “These guys are on the ground doing the brunt of the work; they make me look good. It’s an honor to lead them.”
Santiago has earned the respect of the Airmen he leads, Tuttle said.
“Our Airmen want to work for him,” she said. “I want to work for him. Tech. Sgt. Santiago has extremely high expectations and motivates everyone to push themselves a little harder to reach their goals. Our flight had an incredible last year, and we couldn’t have done it without his leadership.”
Santiago is both “extremely likeable and hard on the Airmen at the same time,” Tuttle said.
“You are just as likely to see him take the time to help out with a flight or helping Airmen with their CDCs as he is to cut loose and challenge them to a game of tiger ball,” she said. “He is the fastest in the flight; our Airmen challenged him to a sprint and he’s still got it.”
A native of Eagan, Minnesota, Santiago said he thought about joining the military after graduating from high school, but went to college in Wisconsin for almost a year before enlisting in the Air Force right after his 19th birthday. The health care career field was one of the options that appealed to him.
“I didn’t know what aerospace physiology was, but it was on my top 10 list,” he said. “It was medical and it sounded cool, so I thought I’d give it a try.”
Santiago did not intend to stay in the Air Force beyond his original commitment, but his experiences altered his vision for the future.
“I was presented with some cool opportunities, like working with U2s at Beale Air Force Base,” he said. “It’s 12½ years later; I’m in it for the long haul.”
Santiago said he enjoys his current job, but he is also looking ahead, hoping to commission and align his career with the business degrees he has earned.
He is proud of the award he has won with the help of his flight, which he called the busiest unit he has ever been assigned to – responsible for training 4,500 aircrew members per year to handle extreme physiological conditions and other stressors while in flight.
“It’s an honor to be recognized,” he said. “I haven’t won an award like this in my career. The hard work paid off, but I have to put my head down and keep working.”