Laughlin XLer: Airman 1st Class Frank Balba, 47th MDOS

Published Sept. 2, 2015
By 47th Flying Training Wing

LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Unit and job title: 47th Medical Operations Squadron bioenvironmental engineering technician

Why he XLed: Balba managed the lead and copper water sampling team that organized 40 collection points, and protected the health of 3,000 people. He evaluated four shops that contained 183 Airmen, for occupation and environmental health hazards. He identified 15 issues and advised a solution that ensured a safe mission for $1 billion in aircrafts. While running the wing drinking water program, he responded to three line breaks, and performed quality assurance evaluations for 12 samples; this secured 90 million gallons of water. As the wing thermal stress program manager, he simplified the steps of reporting and ensured 426 timely wing notifications. Lastly, Balba earned six credit hours towards his CCAF, where he has a 4.0 GPA and only two classes to go until graduation.