Diamond Sharp airmen: Distinguished disposer

Editor's note: This feature is the 23rd in a series of Air Commando spotlights at Cannon. The airmen being highlighted are recent Diamond Sharp award winners. Diamond Sharp is a monthly program where airmen are recognized by wing leadership and first sergeants for their hard work and achievements.

U.S. Air Force photo: Senior Airman Alexxis Pons Abascal

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Ryan Vaughan, 27th Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron Explosive Ordnance Disposal apprentice, stands with EOD equipment at Cannon Air Force Base. Vaughan was recently awarded as a Diamond Sharp award recipient for the month of May.

U.S. Air Force careers must be able to evolve and adapt over time with advances in technology and enemy threats. Over recent years, Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams have made robust changes and improvements in training and equipment to better meet the mission needs of Air Commandos at the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon Air Force Base.

In order to support Special Operations Forces on the ground, EOD troops are forced to think like their adversaries, taking multiple details into account to safeguard the lives of their wingmen.

While he has yet to experience the fight first-hand, Airman 1st Class Ryan Vaughan, 27th Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron EOD apprentice, wasted no time submersing himself in his craft and demonstrating leadership capabilities to his supervision.

It was this display of hard work and dedication that recently earned Vaughan his Diamond Sharp award nomination and win for the month of May.

"It's always a nice thing to be recognized by leadership for hard work," said Vaughan. "This kind of achievement will hopefully get my name out to the wing and establish faith in my ability with higher-ups."

Vaughan is no stranger to recognition from Air Force supervision. He was a Basic Military Training honor graduate, earned the Outstanding Professionalism award during his time in the Commando Pride Airman Center and is one of several leaders for 27 SOCES physical training for more than 250 wingmen, contributing to an overall 97.5 percent squadron PT pass rate — one of the highest percentages on base.

"It's always a challenge to try and keep up with people that already have the experience and know what they are doing," Vaughan explained. "The great thing about EOD is our tight bond. My team here has really made sure that I'm constantly learning from their experiences, which makes me a better troop."

Airman Vaughan completed EOD technical training, said to be one of the Department of Defense's more intense technical training courses, without any failures. Vaughan was also the top graduate from his EOD class, a class that, on average, only one of three troops complete on schedule.

The Niantic, Conn., native, has a passion for staying physically fit and active. When he isn't in the gym or his shop working out, Vaughan also makes time for outdoor recreation — snowboarding as the ideal option when the season is right.

"One of the most difficult aspects of my job would be training; since we can't perfectly replicate a deployed environment, we do our best to facilitate what we can here to perfect our skills," Vaughan stated. "The hard part for me would be my desire to always be the best."

"When I don't meet my own expectations, I am fairly hard on myself," he continued. "My team is always encouraging and that just motivates me to be better, learn from my mistakes, and keep growing."