Base lab technician named Air Force Outstanding Airman Published July 22, 2008 By Mike Wallace Skywrighter Staff WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Tech. Sgt. Tammy Shaw was named one of the Air Force's 12 most Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2007. A noncommissioned officer laboratory technician at Wright-Patterson Medical Center, Shaw was recognized for her on-the-job leadership and job performance as well as her community involvement. The Air Force annually picks 12 Airmen out of its more than 260,000 enlisted member force to honor, and the recognition can be a plus for promotion purposes. They also are afforded the opportunity to serve on the Air Force Enlisted Advisory Council which can influence changes to policy. With only eight years in the military, Shaw already was honored as the Air Force Laboratory Technician of the Year, Air Force Materiel Command's 2007 Lab Technician, and Aeronautical Systems Center's NCO of the Year. She also was named the Air Force Sergeants Association Chapter 751 NCO of the Year and is in the running for AFSA's National NCO of the Year award. "This award is an honor," Shaw said. "It's great to be able to make a difference serving on the Air Force Enlisted Advisory Council, maybe changing some of the 'little things.' (For example) last year the council approved two weeks of paternity leave so that new fathers could be at home without having being charged with leave," she said. A native of Wisconsin, Shaw said that her work values were shaped by her parents. "I learned to work hard and do my best." Saying that she had been "in the right place at the right time" as a reason for her awards, she credited her leaders, her peers, and "especially the outstanding Airmen working for me." One of her working accomplishments was to pilot the Department of Defense' largest DNA collection site, 38,000 samples, with only a 0.02 percent rejection rate. Partly because of this, her laboratory was named "Best in DOD." Last year, her lab process 97 percent of the 15,000 "STAT" or immediate lab requests, each in less than an hour. This rate bested the 90 percent goal. The lab also received a flawless rating for an Environmental Protection Agency inspection. The point of contact NCO for training, Shaw monitored and inspected 10 wards and 250 people, and ensured quality control for more than 18,000 medical tests a year. She managed a $62,000 budget and trained 20 staff members. In addition to her working feats, Shaw completed 28 hours towards a bachelor's degree in health sciences while carrying a 4.0 average. She also completed a Community College of the Air Force degree and became a nationally certified lab technician. Active in both the Wright-Patterson and local communities, Shaw acted as a judge at 12 college science fairs, co-chaired the Airmen Against Drunk Driving organization and coordinated more than 3,000 volunteer hours, donated 135 hours to Habitat for Humanity, recruited 117 volunteer hours for Relay for Life cancer charity, and volunteered 10 hours each month for Project Linus to knit blankets for cancer-stricken children. Shaw said she picked her voluntary activities because they meant something to her. She explained, "I lost a friend to a drunk driver, and I've lost family members to cancer. I think you should volunteer as long as you find something of some interest to you." A base resident, Shaw said, "I don't sit still. I try to set an example. It only takes one person doing the right thing to inspire another person."