Work hard attitude proves fruitful

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Tiffany Black
  • 115th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
He possesses superior leadership qualities, performs well on the job, is involved in his community and has many noteworthy personal achievements. Senior Master Sgt. Craig A. Mortvedt, personnel superintendent of the 115th Fighter Wing, is Wisconsin's Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, and moving on to compete against his peers around the country to join the ranks of 763 named Outstanding Airmen of the Year since the program's inception in 1956.

Mortvedt received the nomination for this award from his direct leadership, and was pleasantly surprised by it.

"I was humbled by the news," Mortvedt said. "The first thing that came to my mind was a lot of the reasons I received this recognition had to do with my leadership taking care of me, so in turn I am able to take care of my team."

His motivation comes from his upbringing. Growing up on a farm Mordvedt's parents and grandparents instilled a work hard attitude, which he uses as his drive to succeed.

"I was taught to work hard and leave things better than when I got there," Mortvedt said. "Hard work and knowing where to find answers has enabled me to take care of people throughout my career. I value taking care of people and it is something that means a lot to me."

He went on to attribute his success to his supportive family and to his team, as well.

"I have a great family - my wife Cheryl, and two sons, Riley and Alex," Mortvedt said. "Without their strength, support and understanding I would not be where I am today, and my awesome team makes it very easy for me to continue to work hard. I cannot thank everyone enough for their support up to this point."

Personally, Mortvedt is currently enrolled in the Business Management program at Concordia University in Madison, Wis., and graduates with his bachelor's degree in December. He also is an active member of the Mount Horeb American Legion Post 113 where he started a Junior Shooting Program to teach children safety, marksmanship, confidence and leadership. 

Professionally, Mortvedt wants to continuously improve his and his teams' effort to take care of fighter wing members. He does this by facilitating classes for supervisors on awards and decorations so they are able to properly recognize their team members, and by continuing to mentor Airmen emphasizing positivity.

"I know having a positive attitude and working hard can take you a long way," Mortvedt said. "You do not have to be the smartest or quickest, but hard work and keeping a positive attitude can take you as far as you want to go."