EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- Anytime someone walks into a building or flips a light switch on Eielson they never have to wonder whether there will be heat or power; one of the people that has been responsible for making sure that happens without fail for decades is Don Fry.
This year, Fry, 354th civil engineer squadron operations flight deputy commander won the Harry P. Reitman award, which recognizes the U.S. Air Force’s most outstanding civil engineer senior civilian manager.
Fry oversees a number of facilities unique to Eielson which are responsible for providing the base with everything from clean water to heat and power for the arctic nights.
“Don started in the coal plant and worked his way up from the bottom to the plant superintendent, then he moved to the squadron headquarters and eventually worked his way into his current position,” said Maj. Tanner Jones, 354th CES operations flight commander. “He is an awesome continuity of knowledge for the base. He plays a large part in maintaining the arctic infrastructure necessary to sustain life here. He is one of the long-term superstars for Eielson.”
Fry not only leads total force Airmen at Eielson, but also spends his spare time volunteering at Ben Eielson High School, bringing some of the experience from there to the squadron.
“He’s been a local high school coach for a long time, I think coaching is his leadership style,” said Jones. “Everyone knows expectations working for Don. I love having him on my leadership team because no one wants to disappoint him because it’s like letting a coach down.”
As a 40-year Alaskan and 26-year Eielson resident, Fry has seen a lot of change in the area and has stepped up to meet the challenge.
“Basically, we are a small city,” said Fry. “We provide everything from power to drinking water. We’ve made some innovations; one of them resulted in us being the first in the Air Force to install a granular activated carbon system in our water to ensure it’s safe.”
Fry and his team make up the largest flight on base consisting of around 338 military and civilian personnel. This team faces a number of unique and common challenges when it comes to supporting the base.
“Our team does a phenomenal job,” said Fry. “If a power line goes down at 50 below, our guys have to go fix that. And when they do, they just do it; no questions, no complaints.”
Whether it be a long cold night or a hot summer’s day, every time someone flips a switch or turns a faucet Fry and his team are always at the other end of that transaction making sure the resources are available. By providing Eielson Airmen the essentials for life in the arctic, Fry enables them to so they can focus on the mission at hand.