November 16, 2016 --
SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. --
Schriever Air Force Base professionals are likely to experience at least one communications related issue in the workplace on a daily basis; a sluggish computer, an “Access Denied” pop-up window or, on an exceptionally grievous occasion, the ever-feared “blue screen of death.” The first thing to do to resolve these issues is submit a trouble ticket to the wings communications squadron. At the 310th Space Wing, that communications squadron is run single-handedly by Senior Airman Sandra Buck.
Buck’s family moved to Colorado when she was 10 and she wanted to remain close to them, which the Reserve lifestyle allows her to do. She joined the Air Force Reserve at the age of 32, after raising and homeschooling her four children, and has been on orders to Schriever since January 25th. Buck used to work as communications personnel for the 310th Force Support Squadron at Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado, making the two-hour drive from Schriever to the Unit Training Assembly’s once a month. In early November, the squadron opened an additional office at SAFB to provide more support to the Reservists stationed there. Buck was the first member to move to the new office and is currently waiting for an upcoming tech school graduate to join her.
“I don’t mind having to be self-motivated, with it being just me here for now,” said Buck. “Some technical issues can take a while to resolve, but I love the satisfaction of looking at a problem and figuring out how to fix it. My favorite quote is, ‘Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.’ Even when I don’t know how to solve an issue right at first, I know if I keep working hard I’ll eventually figure it out.”
While Buck enjoys her work, she often faces the difficult task of responding to an overwhelming amount of trouble tickets from squadrons throughout the wing. Some issues are as simple as routing a printer, while others require a much more extensive review.
“Troubleshooting can be the most difficult part of any ticket that comes across my desk, just not knowing what the issue is or what I’m going to have to solve,” explained Buck. “Other times, I go to an appointment with one item on the ticket and end up facing multiple issues for that particular user. Suddenly, a job that should have taken a few minutes takes up an entire duty day.”
Despite some days being more taxing than others, Buck is proud of her opportunity to serve in the wing.
“My kids were my motivation to do this for myself,” said Buck. “I always wanted to join the military and I knew if I didn’t, I would regret it later. I also wanted to teach my children that when you work hard, you can achieve your dreams no matter what age you are.”