Contents - Airlift/Tanker Association

The Airlift/Tanker Association Young Leadership Award is
presented annually to twelve individuals who have displayed
performance excellence, outstanding professional skill,
knowledge and leadership in fulfillment of their duties.
2008 A/TA
Young Leadership Awards
First Lieutenant Eric L. Burke
First Lieutenant Eric L. Burke, 25 years old, is an Aircraft Maintenance
Officer currently assigned to the 402nd Electronics Maintenance
Group, 402nd Maintenance Wing, Robins
Air Force Base, Georgia. Lieutenant Burke
was born in Madisonville, Kentucky, on 15
May 1982, where he attended McKenzie High
School and excelled across the entire spectrum
of school activities and academics. Upon
graduating from high school, he attended the
University of Tennessee at Martin for 1 year,
majoring in Electrical Engineering Technology,
and earning the honor of making the Dean’s List. Lieutenant Burke
then transferred his enrollment to Middle Tennessee State University,
majoring in Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology and enrolling
in the Air Force ROTC program at Tennessee State University.
In 2004, upon graduation from Middle Tennessee State University,
Tennessee, and completion of ROTC at Tennessee State University,
Tennessee, Lieutenant Burke began technical training as an Aircraft
Maintenance Officer at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. He was then
assigned to the 116th Air Control Wing, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia,
the first “blended” wing in the United States Air Force, where he
was selected as the Company Grade Officer of the Quarter for the
Wing. After numerous deployments and tremendous success within
the 116 ACW, Lieutenant Burke was then selected to serve as the Executive
Officer for the 402nd Electronics Maintenance Group, where
he represented the group for the Lieutenant General Leo Marquez
Award for 2007.
“So nigh is Grandeur to our dust,
so near is God to man,
when Duty whispers low, ‘thou must,’
the youth replies,
‘I can.’”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
Major Vincent E. Casquejo
Major Vincent E. Casquejo is the Maintenance Operations Officer,
718th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan. He is 33
years old. Major Casquejo was born in Dearborn,
Michigan, on 19 December 1974. He graduated
from the University of California, Berkeley and
commissioned through the Reserve Officer Training
Corps in 1998. Major Casquejo received an
initial assignment to the 325th Training Squadron
at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, for Undergraduate
Air Battle Management Training.
Upon graduating, Major Casquejo proceeded
to Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, and the 552d Training Squadron
for Air Weapons Officer Qualification Training in June, 1999. He was
reassigned to the 552d Component Repair Squadron where he crosstrained
into the Aircraft Maintenance career field, graduating from
the Aircraft Maintenance Officer Course at Sheppard Air Base, Texas,
in September 2000. Major Casquejo then moved to the 552d Aircraft
Generation Squadron as a Sortie Generation Flight Commander and
led three Exercise RED FLAG deployments, returning to duty from his
final RED FLAG on 11 September 2001. On that fateful day, he led the
emergency launch of all E-3B/C Airborne Warning and Control System
aircraft on-station following the terrorist attacks and went on to lead
the generation efforts for what became Operation NOBLE EAGLE. Major
Casquejo’s unit supported five nation-wide surveillance orbits and a
continuous Presidential security alert commitment while still supporting
Operations NORTHERN WATCH, SOUTHERN WATCH and ENDUR-
ING FREEDOM. He also played a vital role in the bed down of NATO
E-3A aircraft and personnel supporting Operation EAGLE ASSIST, the
first deployment of NATO assets to support an allied nation in NATO’s
50 year history. Major Casquejo went on to lead back-to-back deployments
to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey and Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia, as Chief of E-3 Maintenance for Operations NORTHERN
and SOUTHERN WATCH.
Major Casquejo was reassigned to the 43d Maintenance Group as
Quality Assurance Flight Commander at Pope Air Force Base, North
Carolina. In 2003, he attended Squadron Officer School at Maxwell Air
Force Base, Alabama, where he was part of the General Hinman Academic
Award Flight, and was the Flight Outstanding Contributor. Shortly
after graduation, Major Casquejo led a 12-ship deployment to Al Udeid
Air Base, Qatar, supporting Operations ENDURING and IRAQI FREE-
DOM. He led C-130E maintenance operations taking charge of four Air
National Guard C-130Es to form the 745th Aircraft Maintenance Unit,
379th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. Major Casquejo
engineered the stand-up and sustainment of C-130E maintenance operations
for 16 aircraft and 165 personnel. In May 2004, he was reassigned
as the Aircraft Maintenance Unit Officer in Charge, 43d Aircraft
Maintenance Squadron. Major Casquejo is a graduate of the United
States Air Force Advanced Maintenance and Munitions Officer’s School
32 A/TQ • Airlift/Tanker Quarterly • Fall 2008