MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- If there were one word to describe Master Sgt. Timothy Hill, 908th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron interim aircraft mechanic flight chief, it would be humble and relaxed.
Ok, so that’s two words; but both accurately describe the 908th Flying Training Wing’s Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Quarter for the second quarter of 2024.
Hill oversees scheduling the daily work responsibilities for the members of his flight. Whether they will be working on aircraft, attending training or even making mandatory medical and dental appointments, it all starts with him.
“I do a lot of administrative work,” said Hill. “I supervise the personnel, not so much the work that they do. I’m also in charge of ensuring their performance reviews are completed and they receive awards and decorations if it’s warranted.”
The soft-spoken Hill started his military career at birth, having been born on Maxwell, Air Force Base, Alabama, as his father served in the Air Force, and that was where his family was stationed. Despite the origins, and the fact that one of his brothers joined the Army and another joined the Navy, he didn’t enlist until he was 27 years old.
At that time, he was a steel fabrication shop foreman but felt his life had grown stagnant and wanted something more. So, he and a friend decided they would enlist in the Air National Guard. He was all prepared to follow through, when his wife’s uncle, then a Judge Advocate officer for the 908th convinced him that the Air Force Reserve was a better option.
That was December 2009, and Hill has been a member of the 908th ever since.
“I actually wanted to be a load master, but I couldn’t pass the depth perception test,” he said. “I still wanted to fly, and I learned that mechanics fly too. I’ve always liked to work on trucks, cars, basically anything with a motor, so I joined as an aerospace maintenance journeyman.”
Hill spent a little over three years in the 908th Maintenance Squadron before being deployed in 2013. Not too long after returning from deployment, he accepted an Air Reserve Technician job with the 908th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.
What Hill loves most about serving as a leader in the 908th is mentoring Airmen and watching them grow into their careers and excelling as leaders capable of supplying superior combat capabilities.
“It’s fun to watch.”