Master Sgt. Joshua Suggs was nearing the end of his military career, with terminal leave planned to begin May 1 and retirement Sept. 1.
That was before COVID-19.
With the pandemic surging in the United States, Suggs demonstrated the Air Force core value of “service before self,” delaying his retirement to help team members at Arnold Engineering Development Complex meet this new threat to personnel and the mission.
Suggs is the branch chief of the Arnold Air Force Base Medical Aid Station.
It was a very busy time for the unit – writing base policies, drafting return-to-full-capacity plans, providing daily briefings for AEDC Commander Col. Jeffrey Geraghty, tracking COVID-19 data for 100 counties across four states and working with local, state and Air Force public health, among other tasks.
The team, like many, shifted to a telework status, and continues to work modified schedules to maintain social distancing to minimize risk.
“We still have a lot of ground to cover, but it is much more manageable at this point,” Suggs said.
He added he is grateful for his team and proud of their efforts.
Suggs now plans to begin terminal leave in January 2021 and retire in May 2021.
Master Sgt. Joshua Suggs (U.S. Air Force photo by Jill Pickett)
