Dyess tech sergeant awarded Bronze Star, Pitbull of the Month award in Afghanistan

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  • By Navy Reserve Lt. Cmdr. Kip Wright Special
SOUTHWEST ASIA, Afghanistan --  When a person thinks about U.S. military special operations, thoughts of spreadsheets, calculators or budgets may not come to mind. But those are the tools an Abilene service member uses in her special operations assignment -- skills that helped her win two military honors.

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Sharma Haynes, stationed at Dyess Air Force Base with the 7th Comptroller Squadron, recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan, where she served as a budget analyst for Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command-Afghanistan and balanced the books for special operations forces.

"That was my first experience in a special operations environment, so I didn't really know what to expect," Haynes said.

She successfully met the challenges and was awarded a Bronze Star. She also was the first recipient of the Pitbull of the Month award from the command.

"I nominated Tech. Sgt. Haynes for the Pitbull award because of the commandwide impact she made on a daily basis and her absolute tenacity in solving problems top to bottom," said her supervisor, Air Force Capt. Anthony George.

Using her skills as a financial technical expert, she tackled pay issues for service members and made sure special operations troops on the ground had the funds they needed for mission success.

"She fought through long days and expended every ounce of her expertise to develop the financial processes for the command," George said. "She sought no personal benefit from her hard work, but she knew that she could improve the situation for special operations troops and the Afghan local police they partner with."

Haynes said an additional challenge she faced was "coming into a staff position where 95 percent of my co-workers outranked me."

That didn't hold her back.

"Among a field of senior noncommissioned officers and high-ranking officers in a high-paced environment, she showed that her ability to positively impact the mission far exceeded her rank and years of experience," George said.

Reflecting on her tour in Afghanistan, Haynes said, "My time in Afghanistan was busy at all times, but time well spent -- I know when most people see the news and read the papers, the majority of what they see are the bad things that occur here, but the U.S. presence is making a positive impact on this country."

Navy Reserve Lt. Cmdr. Kip Wright is a public affairs officer for U.S. Forces-Afghanistan.