EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --
October 2009 will always be a significant date for Staff Sgt. David Noland; it’s when his journey in the Air Force began.
After suffering years of mental and emotional abuse, he’s spent even longer trying to break down the walls and negativity that were built up, damaging his self-esteem and self-worth. He knew he wanted to do something different and important, and that led him to the Air Force recruiter.
Originally slated to join as an aerial gunner, the wait time was too long and he decided to go in open electric. In his sixth week of basic training, he received news that he would be in ground radar maintenance.
“I did that for a while and even deployed a couple times,” he said. “When I got to Eielson, they had the unit deployment manager slot open for the 354th Operations Group and I volunteered for it. After doing that for a bit, it eventually led to becoming the noncommissioned officer in charge of group administration for the OG.”
During his time at the OG, Noland spent nights and weekends pursuing his Bachelor’s Degree in business management. After earning his degree, he decided to take the next step.
“I wanted a new challenge,” he said. “Applying for officer training school to become an officer in the Air Force was something I never thought I would be able to accomplish, but I was not going to let that stop me from trying.”
He began the process in November 2016 and found out he was accepted the following summer. He couldn’t pinpoint a specific mentor in his career, stating it was more of a collective effort.
“My last supervisor was one of my biggest mentors, and he actually got picked up for OTS as well,” Noland explained. “But once I started working in the OG, Chief Master Sgt. April Smurda and the officers I was working around started giving me awesome advice on how to move forward with the process.”
There’s a saying, it takes a village to raise a child. But taking that mentality and applying it to Airmen is key in developing future leaders. For Noland, his biggest “why” is his family.
“I have a wife and two daughters, and it is my biggest goal to teach them there are no limits as to what they can accomplish if they put their mind to it,” he said with a smile.
Noland also had a word of advice to provide to other Airmen who may want to pursue OTS.
“Be the best at what you do,” he said. “Be the best at your job, strive for leadership opportunities and find the people who will support you and push you along the way.”