Explosives Safety Individual of the Year

from AMC

2/5/2014 - Spring 2014 -- Explosives Safety Individual of the Year

TSgt Byron K. Allen
375 AMW, Scott AFB, IL

TSgt Byron K. Allen is the Weapons Safety Manager for the 375th Air Mobility Wing, Scott AFB, IL. He is solely responsible for implementing the weapons safety program for the entire installation, in addition to providing safety oversight and support to 23 tenant units.

While deployed, he created numerous Explosives Site Plans for multiple Africa Command airbases, establishing munitions storage operations and combat aircraft parking that provided deployed Combatant Commanders with kinetic air power. As the Scott Air Force Base Weapons Safety Manager, he personally trained 38 additional duty weapons safety representatives and authored a comprehensive training and compliance guide. TSgt Allen also led munitions operations in the first ever Military Ocean Terminal Concord Air Force Prepositioned Fleet refresh operation, loading the Motor Vessel Bennett with 4.6 million pounds of net explosive weight. This returned the vessel to Pacific Command ahead of schedule, saving the Air Force over 5 million dollars.

TSgt Allen is a native of Enterprise, AL, and entered the Air Force in 1998. He began his career as Munitions Systems Apprentice and has served in various positions and fields: Conventional Maintenance, Munitions Control, Senior Munitions Inspector, and Precision Guided Munitions (Missiles). His assignments include Barksdale AFB, LA; Kunsan AB, South Korea; Elmendorf AFB, AK; RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom, and finally Scott AFB, IL. He has deployed numerous times in support of Operation Allied Force, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn.