Airman fo the Year

Despite experiencing it countless times, Katie French’s breath still gets taken every time an F-16 takes off. French, an F-16 crew chief with the South Dakota Air National Guard when not taking classes at South Dakota State University, gets to experience a jet taking off at least one weekend each month as a member of the 114th Fighter Wing.

“It’s just amazing. I wish I could explain it better … when the jet starts, there’s a roar you feel. It’s the coolest thing,” she said.

As crew chief, French has to prove everything meets standards mechanically with the F-16 before it takes off. While it’s a huge responsibility, she’s used to being in leadership roles. For her accomplishments, French was named Airman of the Year by the South Dakota Air National Guard.

“Never in a million years did I think I’d be working on a multimillion dollar jet and here I am crewing one, launching it and bringing it back home,” said French, who hails from Rapid City. “Knowing that you’re part of a mission, something way bigger than yourself, is an awesome feeling.

“I’m not afraid to go in there and get dirty. I can hold my own,” she continued. “It’s amazing to be acknowledged that your hard work is paying off; it’s nice to know that what I’ve done is getting recognized.”

Her hands-on attitude carries over to her work in the classroom, according to Tracy Nelson, program director for State’s physical education teacher education major. She said French is organized, dedicated and passionate about teaching.

“She’s just a dynamic student,” Nelson said. “When you spend 30 seconds with Katie, you come away with the feeling she can do anything. When she runs here for president in a few years, she has my vote. I think she’s unstoppable. I’m really glad she’s in our field.”

While it was an easy decision for French to attend State, picking a major was difficult. She is happy she chose physical education.

“I’d really like to help people and want to make a difference. I think it’s important to promote healthy lifestyles so kids can avoid diabetes and high blood pressure; a lot of your problems can be prevented if you take care of your body,” she said.

That approach carries over when French talks about taking care of the Air National Guard’s jets.

“The hardest part about being in the Air Guard is you never know what’s going to happen with the jet when it comes back,” she said. “Sometimes it comes back as code one and it’s ready to go back in the air or it’s a code three and there’s a lot of maintenance to do; you don’t know what to expect. Regardless, you have to take care of it and get it ready to go again.”