MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Cally Hatrick, 22nd Training Support Squadron military training instructor, was recently honored with the Maxwell-Gunter Top 3 Outstanding Performer of the Month Award.
As an MTI at Officer Training School, Hatrick plays an important role in officer development, guiding new trainees through their first nine days of training. She instills military customs, discipline, and leadership principles, setting the foundation for their careers.
“Being nominated was really humbling and surprising,’’ said Hatrick. “I’m really grateful to my supervisors for nominating me because they felt like I had put in the effort into being a mentor and pushing myself as a new MTI here.”
Hatrick’s nomination was driven by her leadership as an MTI team chief, where she led a team of eight non commissioned officers through 20 training days and 74 lessons. She developed individualized training plans for three MTIs, resulting in two fully qualified instructors, boosting MTI manning by 20%. Additionally, she earned her Evaluator Effectiveness certification, doubling the total number of squadron evaluators.
“I want to guide the officer trainees by answering their questions and helping them find the right path.” said Hatrick. “So that one day, they can become strong leaders, even leading me in the future.”
Beyond training, Hatrick identified five discrepancies in the Standard Operating Procedures, developed corrective action plans and introduced an MTI exam to measure trainer qualifications across OTS.
“We came together as a team to figure out, what we wanted to implement into the dorm SOP,” said Hatrick. “We wanted to make sure it was clear and easy to read for OTS and for us as instructors, so that we could be more proficient at evaluating and be on the same page.”
A strong advocate for teamwork, Hatrick credits her success to collaboration with fellow MTIs, supervisors and personnel at OTS.
Recent changes at OTS, included increasing class sizes from an average of 100 to nearly 200 trainees. Hatrick collaborated with MTI’s, including U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. James Guthrie, 22nd Training Support Squadron military training instructor, to ensure smooth training transitions.
“Just being able to mesh as a team almost instantly, I think, is our biggest accomplishment,” said Guthrie. “She and I worked together to push flights and accomplish successful graduation rates.”
Hatrick remains focused on mentoring the next generation of officers and improving training standards. With plans to retire in four years, she hopes to pursue a master’s in business administration, applying the leadership skills learned during her military career to a future in the business world.
“We are the epitome of what it means to be in the Air Force,” said Hatrick. “There's a lot of pressure on being an MTI here, but that’s what I love about it.”
The Maxwell-Gunter Top 3 Outstanding Performer of the Month Award is a highly regarded recognition given to enlisted Airmen who go above and beyond in leadership, mentorship and mission execution.