A contracting specialist with the 772nd Enterprise Sourcing Squadron at JBSA-Lackland, Tex., SrA. Steven C. Hedgepeth is one of the Air Force’s 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2013. Hedgepeth was selected below-the-zone as senior airman for cumulative actions that included providing upgrade training and direct contracting support to the Air Force Civil Engineer Center for construction requirements to support operations in Afghanistan. Over one year, he executed 278 contract actions covering three contingencies and touching six countries. He also cleared $5.7 million in contractor claims. He supported a $2 million electrical systems upgrade contract for Kabul International Airport in Afghanistan. He also revamped the Afghan Air Force headquarters project, rectifying a four-week delay and recouping $5 million. During a volunteer 83-day temporary duty at Offutt AFB, Neb., he completed 264 contract actions for the Defense Department and other federal agency customers. Hedgepeth’s home of record is Sioux Falls, S.D.
As commander of Air Forces Central, Lt. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich has been at the heart of almost all U.S. military action in the Middle East, from overseeing airstrikes against Iranian proxy groups to protecting troops as America’s air defense commander for the region. Just before handing over his command to…