Pride of the Pack: Staff Sgt. Ryan Velarde

  • Published
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Unit: 8th Civil Engineer Squadron

Duties: Airman Dorm Leader, Bldg. 1511/1512

Hometown: Houston, Texas

Hobbies: Softball/outdoor activities

Favorite music: Country

Follow on: Spangdahlem, Germany

Last good movie you saw: "Unthinkable"

Best thing you've done here: Visited the DMZ and Seoul

Reason for nomination: "On the evening of Aug. 19, Sergeant Velarde was walking through Bldg. 1406. Noticing it was hot and that several air-conditioning units were not functioning properly, he got the supplies and tools needed to flush out and unclog an entire floor of AC units, during his off-duty time. Some of the residents had been without AC during several very hot and humid days. Being a prior heating, ventilation and air conditioning Airman, he put his skills to work and without complaint as he spent nearly five hours of his off-duty time helping out our dorm residents. His dedication to all dorm residents, not just his own, makes Sergeant Velarde a great dorm manager and a perfect choice for this award." - Tech. Sgt. Stacy Waller, 8th Operations Support Squadron NCO in charge of flight records