DUKE FIELD, Fla. -- It’s 5:30 a.m. Saturday morning, and Tech. Sgt. Brittiany Wright is up long before the sun, already on base making sure everything is in place before the 919th Special Operations Wing kicks off its unit training assembly.
While some Airmen might just be rolling out of bed and getting their day started, Wright, non-commissioned officer in charge of medical logistics for the 919th Special Operations Medical Squadron, is busy preparing for the weekend ahead.
Like other hard-charging Reserve Citizen Airmen, Wright’s preparations begin every Friday leading into a UTA. She travels from Duke Field to Eglin Air Force Base and then onto Hurlburt Field to collect medical supplies, immunizations and any other items the medical team might need to perform preventative health assessments for the wing. Once she makes her rounds, it’s back to Duke to store everything she picks up.
Saturdays call for the early-morning wakeup so Wright can report back to Duke Field to load large cases filled with records and supplies into a truck. She then transports everything back to Hurlburt Field, where the 919th SOMDS provides medical services during drill weekends. Once she arrives with the supplies, Wright helps her teammates set up and ensures everything is in place before the first PHA appointment begins at 7 a.m.
Once the last PHA of the day is complete between 4 and 5 p.m., Wright repacks all the items, loads them back into the vehicle and returns to her unit. Sundays involve meetings, training and catching up on her own readiness requirements.
Wright has repeated this routine every single month since renovations first began on the medical squadron’s facility at Duke Field nearly four years ago. The logistical challenges presented by the process could be viewed as monotonous by some, but the job suits Wright’s “always-on-the-go personality,” she said.
While this quiet professional has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to enhance the wing’s readiness, her leadership has taken notice of her reliability and dedication to the mission.
“She is a go-getter and figures out what needs to be done and just does it; no questions asked,” said Senior Master Sgt. Christopher Cook, superintendent for the 919th SOMDS. “There have been many times I’ve gone to her with a tasking only to find out she has already done it or is working on it.”
Where others have pointed out that Wright’s actions exemplify the Air Force Core Value of service before self, she humbly suggests she’s just doing her job. The impact of her contributions and the importance of her responsibilities aren’t lost on her though.
“I haven’t missed a UTA since 2012,” she said. “If I don’t show up, there would be no PHAs.”
When asked what keeps her going, Wright said her two children and the professional opportunities afforded by Reserve life serve as her motivation. As for the most rewarding part of her job? She emphasized that it comes down to the simple fact that she loves what she does.
Wright joined the Air Force in 2006. After spending time on active duty, she transitioned into the Air Force Reserve and has been serving in her current role at the 919th SOMDS for nearly ten years.