JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
The 437th Maintenance Group suite was renamed in honor of a dedicated civilian with 51 years of service under her belt on December 18, 2020.
Erma Asaro, an administrative executive assistant for the 437th MXG, started her career right out of high school in 1964 working at the Pentagon. Asaro began to work at Charleston with the 315th Airlift Wing in 1974 and finally ended up in the 437th MXG in 1988.
During Asaro’s time, she was awarded the Civilian Achievement Medal, the Civilian Exemplary Service Medal four times, the Civilian Meritorious Service Medal and the Outstanding Career Civilian Service Medal.
Norman Moore, the deputy director of the 437th MXG, described how Asaro was the “First Lady” of the 1,600 person maintenance group and how she was a total rock-star when it came to the administrative processes she took part in.
“When she started working, she worked on an IBM electric typewriter and ended her career working on the most advanced computer,” said Moore. “She was responsible for giving the final approval before all correspondence went in to the group commander for signature.”
All of Asaro’s civilian appraisals for her 50 years were rated “Outstanding” and really showed the amount of dedication and hard work she has put into her lengthy career.
“I started working with her in 1983, and she has been a confidant and friend the entire time,” said Moore. “She was there for major Air Force campaigns such as Vietnam, Urgent Fury (Grenada), Just Cause (Panama), Desert Shield and Storm, Joint Endeavor, Allied Force, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. She is an icon who was a major part of the ‘secret sauce’ which makes Charleston Air Force base so successful.”
At Asaro’s ceremony she was presented numerous gifts to include a shadow box, a maintenance man bronze statue, a star in the Constellation Taurus that was named for her, and the maintenance group suite was renamed the “Erma Asaro Suite” for her 50 plus years of service.
“She had the Midas touch that could turn any bad situation into something positive,” said Moore. “While her position will eventually be filled with someone else, the legacy of Erma Asaro and her contributions to the defense of our nation will live on. As with the military, she took an oath when she came into civil service to ‘support and defend the Constitution of the United States’. She and her family can justifiably be proud of her accomplishments as she begins retirement, but our door will always be open to her.”