ANDREWS AFB, Md. –
Years ago, a Somerset, Ky., country boy dreamt of being a police officer. The boy left Kentucky in 1991, enlisting in the Air Force with that dream in mind. Having grown in age and experience, he is the top security forces senior non-commissioned officer in the Air Force for 2008.
"I've always wanted to be a cop," said Master Sgt. William Darion Ping, 316th Security Forces senior NCO in charge of operations. "I had a cousin who was in the Air Force as a jet mechanic and a great uncle who served in World War II, so there was military in my family. The Air Force guaranteed me the opportunity to be in my chosen career field so I chose to go Air Force."
Sergeant Ping has excelled in the security forces career field as evidenced by his recent selection as Air Force Security Forces Senior NCO of the Year. "I'll get the award in a formal award ceremony down at the Security Forces Center at Lackland [AFB] in San Antonio, Texas, in April. It's a huge honor."
He is quick to note the award is not his alone. "I couldn't have done it without the support of my family, my supervisors or my troops," said Sergeant Ping. "It's their award too. They just pointed me in the right direction."
Sergeant Ping was hand-picked by top Air Force leaders to direct K-9 coordination on Andrews for Pope Benedict XVI's arrival in April 2008 -- the first such coordination in 27 years. However, Sergeant Ping's toughest challenge came in June 2008 when he was tasked to lead a squad of 39 security forces members to Balad AB, Iraq, and perform duties as the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Antiterrorism Superintendent.
"My job was to secure the base from the inside, or the interior, as much as possible," explained Sergeant Ping. "That's a very broad generalization of what I did, but that's the big picture. When you have anywhere from 29,000 to 30,000 people on a base, that's a big time job trying to secure as much as you can on the inside. We ensured the curtained facilities were hardened."
Sergeant Ping said the job had a unique challenge, "Balad has the busiest runways in the DoD, as far as the activeness, so there was never a time it shutdown. It truly was a 24/7 job."
In his nearly 18 years in the Air Force, Sergeant Ping has had a productive career, but 2008 was an especially good year. In addition to the Air Force Security Forces Senior NCO of the Year Award, he was awarded the 2008 Best U.S. Central Command Installation Antiterrorism Program while deployed to Joint Base Balad, Iraq, the 316th Security Forces Senior NCO of the Year, the 332nd AEW Team of the Month while at Balad, the 332nd AEW SNCO of the Month at Balad, and the AFDW Security Forces Senior NCO of the Year.
What is the secret to Sergeant Ping's success? "I couldn't have done it without good people around me," he said.
Sergeant Ping says he is a Kentucky boy at heart and misses country living. When he retires from the military, his dedication and service to country will continue, but in a different capacity. Using the skills which allowed Sergeant Ping the opportunity to soar in the ranks of the Air Force -- Sergeant Ping plans to continue in the law enforcement field, "My long-term goal is to run for Sheriff in Pulaski County, Ky.," he said.