CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Idol is a member of the 437th Communications Squadron and has been stationed at Charleston AFB for approximately five years.
Sergeant Idol is currently deployed to the Middle East with the 332nd Expeditionary Communications Squadron as a security manager. His responsibilities include verifying the clearance levels of all incoming squadron Airmen, providing training to those who require a restricted area badge and maintaining accountability for more than 100 individual networking items, ensuring they work properly.
According to Sergeant Idol, without communication security materials, aircraft would be unable to fly. His work enables secure radio communication between both the aircraft and ground crew, as well as permitting aircraft identification systems to work correctly, allowing aircraft to be identified by other friendly forces.
While stationed at Charleston AFB, Sergeant Idol continues his responsibilities as a security manager and manages approximately 50 communications security and secure voice accounts, along with 3,500 individual networking items.
This "warrior of the week" hails from Washburn, Tenn., and joined the Air Force more than nine years ago.
Sergeant Idol said he joined the Air Force to give something back to his country, see the world and pursue an education.
His immediate goal is to finish his Community College of the Air Force degree and separate from the Air Force in a year to settle down with his family.
According to Sergeant Idol, what he likes best about his job is the amount of responsibility placed on his shoulders and the trust he experiences from leadership that stems from it.
"Sergeant Idol is 'energy in motion,'" said Master Sgt. Shannon McCann, an information assurance supervisor with the 332 ECS. "He is continuously coming up with ways to improve the processes we have in place and always makes them better and more efficient."