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Serving those who serve

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Frank Casciotta
  • 482nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, Fla. --  Good mentors are hard to find. Luckily, there is one here anyone can turn to when they need guidance. It comes as no surprise that she was awarded Air Force Reserve Command’s General Billy J. Boles Mentorship Award.

Maj. Roxy Hambleton, the 482nd Force Support Squadron officer in charge of military personnel, was selected for the award this summer.

The award honors individuals who put forth great effort into mentoring Airmen to reach higher standards of excellence and foster professional enhancement.

“It is an honor to even be considered for this award,” said Hambleton. “I was surprised at the outcome, I really was. I happened to know the competition was very stiff.”

She competed against 32 nominees from as many Air Force Reserve bases for the award.

Perhaps what Hambleton is best known for is her talent with writing and assisting others with their own writing projects.

“At any given point, there is an Airman sitting at my desk with a college essay or an application for Officer Training School, Deserving Airman awards, or to be a first sergeant, you name it—I’ve read it all,” said Hambleton. “I guide them and proofread for them, but never do the work for them. Since I’m a personnelist, I can give them advice to guide them through this process. It’s really great to help Airmen at that level at my squadron and the wing.”

An example of how her mentorship impacted one Airman’s life here comes from an e-mail he sent her.

“I wanted to thank you for believing in, not just me, but everyone,” wrote Staff Sgt. Albert Lopez, a former FSS customer service technician, who worked for Hambleton.

“Thank you for taking time to chat with me offering great guidance and believing in me as not just a new NCO, but as an individual.”

Hambleton says helping others is a passion for her and she gets a sense of fulfillment by helping others reach their potential.

“I’m older than the average major and seeing the potential of these Airmen, I can’t not help them,” said Hambleton, 51. “If I can help somebody write their college application, then I can see that their future will be better. At my age that is beautiful to see.”

Hambleton says she’s reviewed approximately 1,000 resumes, cover letters, college entrance essays, and term papers.

“Around four years ago, I was seeing my kids applying for college and it was a very confusing process, so I learned a lot when my daughter was applying.,” said Hambleton. “When my son applied the next year, I was able to help him and some of his friends with their essays and some of the processes involved. The next thing I know—I’m running free workshops out of my house for anyone who is a senior in high school to identify schools they want, build resumes, write letters of recommendation, and write their entry essays. Writing is a gift I like to share with others.”

Running workshops on enlisted and officer performance reports is another way she shares her gift of writing. Hambleton also has a penchant for public speaking and runs workshops on those as well.

And her mentoring abilities extend to more than writing and speaking. She motivates those around her to challenge themselves. Like when she motivated 13 other Airmen to run the Air Force Marathon with her despite never having run in one herself.

“Four of us ended up running the full marathon,” she said. “The rest did the half. I recruited them, would send them weekly inspirational messages, training advice and music lists to keep them pumped up.”

Hambleton was driven to put the team together because she wanted to branch out from just helping Airmen with their writing and speaking, to helping with their fitness as well.

Helping others is such a passion for Hambleton that she has made a career out of it. She runs a business as a Certified Professional Organizer that helps people with hoarding problems and is a member of the County Task Force for Hoarders in her hometown of Fort Myers, Florida.

Since joining the task force, Hambleton has started a support group for hoarders out of compassion for their situation.

“I started this group so they could talk about their condition in a safe environment,” said Hambleton.

When she isn’t helping others organize, she is a freelance proofreader for Harvard University Press in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Hambleton has been proofreading textbooks for the past 19 years.

Hambleton married her college sweetheart, Paul. They met at the University of Florida where she received her commission in 1987 and subsequently served nine years on active duty.

When she became pregnant with her son, she was given a remote assignment to the Dominican Republic. She opted to leave active duty and take care of her son and young daughter. After a 15-year break in service she joined the Reserve and has been serving ever since.