Pride of the Pack: Staff Sgt. Steven Gardenier

  • Published
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Unit: 8th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 35th Aircraft Maintenance Unit

Duties: Crew chief

Hometown: Cambridge, Wis.

Hobbies: Hanging out with friends, playing my bass guitar, drawing and watching movies

Favorite music: I listen to everything.

Follow on: Unknown

Last good movie you saw: "Grown Ups"

Best thing you've done here: Went to Mud Fest

Reason for nomination: "On Aug. 11, 2010, Sergeant Gardenier troubleshot and repaired a three-time hydraulic failure on an aircraft. Sergeant Gardenier was selected as the lead technician due to his extensive knowledge of the F-16 hydraulic system. He troubleshot the entire hydraulic system, exhausting all known fault isolation trees. Sergeant Gardenier went the extra mile and used system theory and schematics to isolate the malfunctioning component. With the assistance of the 8th Maintenance Squadron hydraulic shop, Sergeant Gardenier was able to confirm the pressure relief valve was indeed malfunctioning. His ability to pinpoint the 'smoking gun' was key in solving this hydraulic failure that had eluded technicians with twice his tenure. Sergeant Gardenier's resolution to this problem was noted as a 'good fix' by F-16 engineers at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and he was coined by the 8th Maintenance Group commander. His maintenance actions to the Wolf Pack's, 8th AMXS's, and the 35th Fighter Squadron's mission make him the perfect choice for this award." - Chief Master Sgt. Steven Ferrell, 8th AMXS chief