Senior Master Sergeant Larry R. Tunnicliff

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     With the same poise that has brought him years of praise and respect, Senior Master Sergeant Larry R. Tunnicliff retired from the Air Force after more that 26 years of active duty service.  The ceremony took place, January 7, in a small ceremony on Buckley AFB.  His effective date of retirement is February 28. 

     Sergeant  Tunnicliff was the Information Management Functional Manager, 460th Communications Squadron Buckley AFB, CO, and was responsible for twenty three Information Managers assigned to Buckley AFB.  SMSgt Tunnicliff was born July 22, 1956 in Akron, Ohio.  He entered the Air Force on active duty on September 6, 1978 and attended Basic Training at Lackland AFB, Texas.  After basic training, Sergeant Tunnicliff spent the next two months attending the Staff Support Administrative Specialist school at Keesler AFB, Mississippi. After graduating, he was assigned to the 3400th Technical Training Wing, Student Affairs Division, Lowry AFB, Colorado.  In 1979, he received an assignment to the 3400th Technical Training Wing, Lowry AFB, Colorado as a Student Training Advisor.  While there, he was promoted to SrA below the zone, and SSgt.  In 1984, he applied for and was accepted as an Air Force recruiter where his job covered northern Colorado, eastern Nebraska, and the entire state of Wyoming.  He was a silver badge recruiter and his assignment in these states included recruiting enlisted and officers for all career fields.  While working as a production recruiter in Colorado, he was promoted to TSgt in February 1989.  Also in February of 1989, he was selected to become a member of the recruit-the-recruiter team and moved to Randolph AFB, Texas.  During his assignment to Randolph, he was recognized as a Distinguished Graduate from the Air Training Command NCO Academy, Lackland AFB, TX.  In 1992, he voluntarily returned to his primary career field as a staff support administrative specialist and was selected to be a member of the Air Force Personnel Center's Quality office.  In this job, he was a member of a four person team studying and improving processes affecting personnel actions across the Air Force.  In August of 1994, Sergeant Tunnicliff was deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  During this assignment, he supported actions during Operation VIGILANT WARRIOR, when for more than 30 days, Saddam Hussein massed his troops on the border of Kuwait.  He was promoted to the grade of Master Sergeant in October of 1994 while in Saudi Arabia.  Arriving back at the Air Force Military Personnel Center, Randolph AFB, TX, in January 1995, he was selected to be a member of a three person team to reengineer the Air Force Personnel Center.  During this job, his team streamlined and improved personnel processes and combined the Air Force Civilian Personnel Center with the Air Force Military Personnel Center to become the Air Force Personnel Center.  In 1996, Sergeant Tunnicliff became a member of a large team working toward modernizing the personnel data system (MILMOD).  While a member of this team, he and others on his team were responsible for establishing distance learning techniques and procedures to train the personnel community across the Air Force the new personnel data system.  In 1998, he received an assignment to 635th Air Mobility Squadron, Hickam AFB, Hawaii.  During this assignment he worked as a resource advisor responsible for a 14 million dollar annual budget and was also selected to fill in as the unit first sergeant for more than 200 enlisted troops.  In 2002, while still assigned to Hickam AFB, HI, he was selected to become a command inspector for Pacific Air Forces.  In this job, he traveled with the inspection team to Alaska, Japan, and Korea to conduct Unit Compliance and Operational inspections.  One significant operational inspection covered the entire Korean peninsula with more than 250 inspectors during a time of heightened world security.  During this inspection, Sergeant Tunnicliff was the one of the team leaders in control of the command center.  Upon return to their home base in Hawaii, Master Sergeant Tunnicliff was selected as one of the top inspectors and was given the Outstanding Performer coin by the Pacific Air Forces Inspector General.  While assigned to the PACAF IG team, Sergeant Tunnicliff was promoted to the grade of Senior Master Sergeant.  His promotion to Senior Master Sergeant triggered an assignment to Buckley AFB, CO in October of 2003 as the Base Information Management Functional Manager.  He completes his career with the honor of serving with some of the best people in the world here at Buckley AFB as a member of the 460th Space Communications Squadron and the newest Wing in the Air Force.  Sergeant Tunnicliff and Naoko have been married for 11 years and have two children, daughter Lana and son Korry.  They have elected to live here in Colorado.

DECORATIONS INCLUDE:

Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters

Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters

Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with three oak leaf clusters

Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with three oak leaf clusters

Air Force Good Conduct Medal with seven oak leaf clusters

National Defense Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster

Southwest Asia Service Medal