Scott Air Force Base, Ill. -- The 932nd Airlift Wing, Civil Engineering Squadron, has an outstanding innovator, and now he also is the winner of the 2021 Lance P. Sijan U.S. Air Force Leadership Award.
SMSgt. Jason Griffith, 932nd CES, operations superintendent, was awarded by Col. Glenn Collins, 932nd AW commander, on August 8, 2021 during the unit training assembly.
The Lance P. Sijan U.S. Air Force Leadership Award recognizes the accomplishments of Airmen, both officers and enlisted, who demonstrate the highest qualities of leadership in the performance of their duties and conduct of their lives. It was named in honor of the first U.S. Air Force Academy graduate to receive the Medal of Honor. Sijan was shot down over Vietnam on Nov. 9, 1967, and evaded capture for 45 days despite severe injuries. He later died while in a Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp and was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroism.
“I was astonished to hear about winning the award,” said Griffith. He explained that winning a numbered Air Force level award highlights the capabilities of the 932nd CES in partnership with the 375th CES and showcases our continued innovation to accomplish the mission.
Griffith’s citation stated, he deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and provided expert leadership to 47 Airman who sustained a $1.9 billion infrastructure and 657 facilities supporting 18 thousand personnel and 45 aircraft valued at $1.3 billion. Additionally, at the Air Force Innovation Rodeo, he was awarded a 50 thousand dollar small business innovation research fund to further develop his idea for an autonomous aircraft bird strike hazard reduction system.
In January 2020 the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center (AFIMSC), announced finalists for the 2020 AFIMSC Innovation Rodeo; Griffith and his partner Byron Icenogle, 375th Civil Engineer Squadron, placed third. Their innovation proposes using autonomous robotic lawn mowers to cut the grass in and around airfields at night, which would reduce aircraft bird-strike hazards.
Congratulations Senior Master Sgt. Jason Griffith!