75th AMDS man receives 50 year pin

  • Published
  • By Mary Lou Gorny
  • Hilltop Times editor
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah --  Refat "Ray" Ibrahim, an industrial hygienist at Hill Air Force Base in the 75th Aerospace Medicine Squadron, received a 50-year pin in acknowledgment of his years of service at Hill Air Force Base on Aug 1.

Maj. Gen. Andrew Busch, Ogden Air Logistics Center commander, attached the pin to his collar and congratulated him on the half century of service

"It's very noble work and I'm glad that you chose to do it with the bioenvironmental team," said Busch.

The general also remarked on how the GI Bill had made such a difference in so many lives including Ibrahim's as he thanked him for his service.

Four individual letters of congratulations were read at the ceremony in the lobby of Building 249, including one each from Secretary of the Air Force Michael A. Donley, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz and one from the commander of the Air Force Materiel Command, Gen. Donald Hoffman.

Ibrahim began his federal service when he was drafted as an airframe repair mechanic in 1958. He served honorably until his discharge in 1962 as an Airman 2nd Class.

He then began his federal civilian service as an aircraft sheet metal mechanic at Hill Air Force Base in 1966.

Both Ibrahim and his commander, Col. Charles Clinton, 75th AMDS, also talked about how the GI Bill helped make his success possible.

Said Ibrahim, "I went back to school, but I had no idea what I wanted (for my major area of study). I made sure I took the courses that pretty much apply to any kind of a degree and I started with mathematics, physics and chemistry."

He said that as he was doing a required chemistry lab, his professor was correcting exams. When the professor came to his, he handed it back to him as he sat nearby.

"I had done really well on the test," said Ibrahim. When asked about his major and upon hearing that he hadn't decided on one yet, the professor began the process of recruiting him right then and there.

"That's how I got in (to that major area of study)," said Ibrahim.

The 50-year employee has seen quite a few changes in his half-century of service -- mostly though he talked about the people who he works with in answer to a few questions after the event.

"These are terrific people from the administration on down, just outstanding people," he said. Ibrahim had high praise for the young Airmen he works with and commented on how much he thinks the caliber of the young people he works with has gone up as he looked back on his time as a civilian worker.

He seemed a little surprised at his longevity, noting that he hadn't thought about it much, accumulating his 10 year pin, his 20 year pin, 30 year and so forth, and he wasn't sure he would have the good health to make it to his 50 year pin back then. "I never dreamt I would last this long physically," he said. "My work environment probably had a lot to do with it from top to bottom."

. Ibrahim knows, just like any good chemist knows, that for a favorable chemical reaction to happen you need the right conditions and the right elements and went out of his way to note what he thought went into his accomplishment.

"For this to happen, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work for a great organization and a terrific group of people," Ibrahim said. "Going back to school, finishing my education - it really opened things up for me.

"Things have to fall into place - you have to have decent conditions and other things. Bioenvironmental engineering has just been a terrific organization and the people in our group here."