445th OSS first sergeant heads to California

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Julie Weckerlein
  • 445th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  She's not going to miss Ohio's freezing cold winters. But Master Sgt. Karen Stanley-Wolfe will definitely miss the men and women she's served with as the 445th Operations Support Flight first sergeant. She's taking an Active Guard/Reserve assignment at March Air Reserve Base in California beginning in mid-February.

Sergeant Stanley-Wolfe has been a part of this wing since 2003 after leaving active duty in 2000.

"I really enjoy the people here," said the Cleveland, Ohio-native. "As I got promoted, I was given the opportunity to mentor and help others advance. And that's what I'm going to remember most about my time here."

Sergeant Stanley-Wolfe, who was recently a nominee for the 445th Airlift Wing's First Sergeant of the Year award, credits the mentorship she received while assigned to the 445th Aerospace Medicine Squadron.

"That was my first home in the wing, and I grew so much under the mentorship of Maj. Daiga Koenig, Chief Master Sgt. William Millar, and Master Sgt. Mark O'Connell," she said. "They were my true inspiration to expect more out of my Air Force career and I wouldn't have the ambition to excel had they not been the true leaders that I aspire to be."

Mentoring will play a big role in her new position. She will be the first sergeant for about 200 recruiters responsible for the entire West Coast and Pacific Air Forces installations.

"I'm really looking forward to the travel opportunities," said Sergeant Stanley-Wolfe. "I will be visiting our recruiters on the Pacific islands and in Alaska, as well as along the coast."

She said the move is an opportunity for her to expand her leadership skills and assume more responsibility on a full-time basis.

"It'll be as if I'm returning to active duty," she said of the tour, which can last up to four years. "I'll be engaging with the Airmen on a more routine basis versus just seeing them once a month."

And it helps that there will be warm winters in California, too.

"As one of my Airman and I walked to the annual awards banquet recently, both of us were mumbling about the bitter cold," she said. "I know for sure that's something I'm not going to miss at all."