Airman of the Week: Senior Airman Eric Gallivan

  • Published
  • 436th Airlift Wing
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  
Name/rank: Senior Airman Eric Gallivan

Squadron: 436th Civil Engineer Squadron

Job description: Structural Journeyman -- base maintenance and construction to include structural framing, masonry, welding, sheet metal fabrication, roofing, flooring, doors, windows and locks.

Dream assignment and why? Royal Air Force, Lakenheath. I have always wanted to experience an overseas assignment, and Great Britain seems like it would be an easy transition from the United States. However, my ultimate reason for picking this as my dream assignment is for its proximity to north London. Since I was a child, it has always been my dream to go to Great Britain to watch a Tottenham Hotspur soccer game; being stationed at RAF Lakenheath would get me that much closer.

Family: I'm married to my high school sweetheart, Shanda Gallivan. We have two children, Kaiden, 4, and Aaralynn, 1.

Favorite movie: All-time favorite movie is "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy"

Favorite food: Chicken burritos, and although not necessarily food, coffee has been a big part of my life.

Favorite book: "The Inner Circle" by Brad Meltzer

Who inspires you? Recently I finished Airman Leadership School and our mentor was Chief Master Sgt. Larry Williams, and by far he has been one of the most inspirational figures in my professional military career. However, the person that inspires me the most to work hard and strive to be the best that I can is my wife, Shanda. She is always there to pick me up from the lows in my career and celebrate the accomplishments. Whether she realizes it or not, Shanda pushes me to be the best person that I can be every day. Not only does she influence my personal life but also my military career. She is truly the most inspirational person in my life.

Have you been deployed? If so, what was your best experience/story, why? I have been deployed twice, once to Al Udeid, Qatar, and once to Balad, Iraq. There isn't one significant or single most outstanding story from either of the deployments, but I would have to say my deployment to Joint Base Balad, Iraq yielded the most memorable experiences. The diverse group of individuals that I was deployed with was the most rewarding. There was an immense amount of camaraderie amongst our group and I learned a great amount from the people in that squadron.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? In 10 years I hope to be a Senior Master Sgt. and possibly a First Sergeant. I want to have my bachelor's degree in accounting and working towards my master's degree.

Senior Airman Gallivan is deserving of this recognition as he was the crew lead for the Liberty Park playground project. He supervised 15 volunteers for 110 hours and saved $434,000 in contractor costs. He has volunteered 16 hours to clean the historic Civil War battle site at Gettysburg, Pa., and at a Special Olympics event. He deployed for 150 days to Joint Base Balad, Iraq, where he orchestrated the Construction Team - North Transition while nullifying the void in the Air Force mission there. He was the lead of the base beautification crew during the Dover Air Force Base, Del., 2011 Commander-in-Chief's Installation Excellence Award visit, resulting in the Eagle Wing's recognition as best in Air Mobility Command. While attending Airman Leadership School, he received the John Levitow Award for academic excellence. Senior Airman Gallivan embodies the core values and sets the standard for others to follow.
 
- Staff Sgt. Corey Targett
Supervisor