Cea named ‘Support Airman of the Week’

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  • By Staff Reports
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Staff Sgt. Sean Cea, 367th Training Support Squadron client support administrator and native of Palm Bay, Fla., has been in the Air Force for nine and a half years and is the Support Airman of the Week at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, for the week of Nov. 17-23, 2015. Cea is responsible for ensuring the health of client information systems, distributing and controlling 1.3 thousand commercial software licenses, monitoring and applying security patches for network orders and assisting with instructional technology design and improvement.

How he impacts the training mission:

"Staff Sergeant Cea supports the unit by managing and maintaining its $1.5 million instructional technology hardware and software assets for 82nd courseware development personnel," said Master Sgt. Timothy Evans, Cea's supervisor. "These personnel are responsible for the production of more than 300 interactive multimedia and instructional aid products used by more than 110,000 Active Duty, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, Department of Defense Civilians, and contractor personnel."

Most significant accomplishments:

"Cea was hand- selected to redesign the squadron's innovations room," Evans said. "He coordinated the acquisition of $13,000 in furniture and technology and configured the room's décor. Even though the room is not quite finished, it already provides a space to enhance morale and ideas used in the development of training."

Evans also said that Cea single-handedly managed the Client Support functions with a high regard for "fast fix" after losing nearly 66 percent of their staff. 

Cea's story:

"I enlisted into the Air Force June 6 of 2006, at the age of 17, exactly two weeks after I graduated from High School," Cea said. "My intentions were to receive my college education without relying on student loans, and this was the last option left for a B-average student like me."

"I became a project manager, a now non-existent AFSC [Air Force Specialty Code or career field]," he said. "The Air Force gave me the opportunity to learn a trade I didn't know existed, become independent by the age of 18, and travel places I couldn't point out to you on a map."

"I'd say I've been fortunate to have seen and experience the cultures and people I've come across," Cea continued. "These things didn't come without its price though; 12-hour shifts, deployments, and the fear of losing my job for being myself under the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy, but every story isn't complete without its drama."

"My current duty assignment, Hill Air Force Base, has been the most rewarding in my career," Cea said. "I earned my CCAF [Community College of the Air Force], completely transitioned to a new AFSC, and discovered my potential do more with my life."

"Creativity comes as second nature to me, and I'd like to put those skills in use for architectural and interior design," he said. "My time in these bootstraps has molded me into a manager, a leader, and a wiser man. It's allowed me to create this platform for success in any endeavor of my choosing."

"In time, I see my life blossoming in an urban environment where I can continue to be intellectually and visually stimulated and inspired," Cea said. "My only hope is to continue to have the gratitude and pride I have now serving in the United States Air Force."