Senior Master Sgt. Gene Kapuchuck

Senior Master Sgt. Gene Kapuchuck is a leader in Air Combat Command's (ACC) second largest communications squadron. Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, is a vital communications hub that links the president's airborne command center and the defense secretary with the nuclear launch control centers. When those communications links go down, Kapuchuck's maintainers need to fix them instantly. Kapuchuck led the team replacing E-4B external communications transmission cables resulting in the restoration of the president defense secretary's National Nuclear Air Operations Center capability. During a Milstar NC3 outage, Kapuchuck directed maintenance teams resulting in the sustained message flow of 4 million Nuclear Command and Control messages. He was recognized as the 55th Communications Group Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (SNCO) Lance P. Sijan nominee, the highest award for leadership in the Air Force.

When he wasn't at work, Kapuchuck devoted 840 hours to the 55th Wing Victim Advocate and Omaha Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence crisis hotline. During the World Refugee Day Health Fair, he briefed 200 members on intimate partner violence and available resources, effectively bridging the gap between the military and the local community. His involvement doesn't end there, however. In 2014, Kapuchuck became a Defense Department credentialed Master Resiliency Trainer. He utilized this to train and certify 17 installation Resiliency Training Assistants, effectively strengthening base members' ability to recover from adversity. Kapuchuck volunteers with the Center for Women's Advancement and a domestic abuse and suicide aversion line. He helped one airman, who lost a child, but he declined to talk about that due to privacy concerns.

Notable quote from his nomination form: "He is the only reason I was successful as an Operations Flight Commander. His presence in the squadron is a boon, and I would absolutely want him working with me, or my friends and peers, for the rest of my career."