Staff Sergeant Russell Byrd

STAFF SERGEANT RUSSELL W. BYRD

Staff Sergeant Russell M. Byrd is the Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of Administration for AFROTC Detachment 280 at The University of Kansas.  He mentors the 65+ member detachment of future U.S. Air Force and Space Force officers, comprised of college freshman through seniors. He assists in overseeing cadets at Leadership laboratories.  Sergeant Byrd is the primary for Detachment 280’s administrative programs such as cadet pay, scholarship funding, IT, medical clearances, security clearances, travel arrangements, contracting, and commissioning.

Sergeant Byrd is an Administration Journeyman by trade and has completed administrative duties for over 900 civilian and military personnel and has processed over 1.5 million pounds of mail. Seargeant Byrd provided security for 20 projects, eliminating a I0-year foreign object damage hazard and protecting 5.3 billion dollars in assets for Operation INHERENT RESOLVE. Additionally, he was handpicked to fill a critical Commander Support Staff vacancy; responsible for administrative management and special commander programs for 300 military and contractors. He managed the awards program, processing monthly submissions for 4 flights across 5 categories producing 8 winners and the Group, Wing, and Air Forces Central Command-levels.

Sergeant Byrd executed the expedited delivery of 75 technical orders which provided mission critical publications to the Operations Group's Air Traffic Control section, leading to 2000 aircraft training sorties. As his section's sole administrative personalist, he produced 36 personnel report evaluation sites and 128 duty title updates. Additionally, he was selected to lead the preparation for the Postal Service Center's team inspection, executing two checklists encompassing 452 documents certifying 156 line items for two sections. This effort was key to his section earning an overall "Effective" rating during the 2018 Unit Effectiveness Inspection.

EDUCATION

2022     Airman Leadership School, Offutt AFB, Bellevue Nebraska

ASSIGNMENTS

1.     May 2017 – Jul 2017, Basic Military Training, Lackland Air Force Base, TX

2.     Jul 2017 – Aug 2017, Student, Administration Basic Course, Keesler AFB, MS

3.     Sep 2017 – Jan 2019, Military Postal Clerk, 374 Force Support Sq, Yokota AFB, Japan

4.     Jan 2019 – Sep 2019, Commander Support Staff Technician, 374 Operation Support Sq, Yokota AFB Japan

5.     Sep 2019 – Feb 2023, Commander Support Staff Journeyman, 16 Weather Sq, Offutt AFB NE

6.     Dec 2020 – Aug 2021, Force Protection Escort, 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineering Sq, Ali Al Salem AB, Kuwait.

7.     Feb 2023 – Present, Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of Administration, AFROTC Detachment 280, University of Kansas, KS

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

Air and Space Commendation Medal

Air and Space Achievement Medal 1st Oak Leaf Cluster

Meritorious Unit Award

Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award 1st Oak Leaf Cluster

Air and Space Organizational Excellence Award

AF Good Conduct Medal 1st Oak Leaf Cluster

National Defense Service Medal

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal

Air and Space Longevity Service Award 1st Oak Leaf Cluster

USAF NCO PME Graduate Ribbon

Air and Space Training Ribbon

EFFECTIVE DATE OF PROMOTION

Staff Sergeant                     01 Nov 2022

(Current as of October 2025)