AIR FORCE CIVILIAN DROPS 120 POUNDS!

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class
  • 437th Airlift Wing
CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. (AMCNS) --  Tipping the scale at 365 pounds on a 5-foot-10-inch frame, Dominick Ward began working for the Air Force in 2003 as a civilian. Today he is 120 pounds lighter.

A forklift operator assigned to the 437th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., Ward made a New Year's resolution at the beginning of 2007 to lose 80 pounds.

With a few base wingmen by his side to show him how to lose the weight safely and an Air Force instruction in his favor allowing him time to exercise, he surpassed his goal by losing a total of 120 pounds by March 2008 and now weighs 245 pounds.
And he's not done yet. He said he hopes to lose another 30 pounds to take him down to a final weight of 215 pounds.

"It's easier to move around now, and it's easier to climb on the back of trailers at work to load and unload what we're delivering around the base," Ward said.

He credits Air Force policy for his "down-sizing."

In accordance with Air Force Instruction 36-815, Chapter 8, Excused Absences, 8.1.1, "installation commanders or heads of service organizations may excuse civilian employees for physical fitness activities up to three hours per week based on mission and workload requirements. Participation is strictly voluntary."

Ward used this benefit to work out at the base's fitness center five days a week. He said the extra three hours of excused absences per week, used in conjunction with his lunch hour, helped to keep up his new exercise routine. He went from couch potato to two miles of running and a half hour of weightlifting, using different muscle groups, during weekdays.

He also had a few wingmen helping him along the way. One of those people, Staff Sgt. Tavarus Williams, a fitness specialist with the 437th Force Support Squadron, taught him the ropes on ways to work out safely and use equipment at the gym.

"I give orientations at the fitness center to people who are new and want to know how to use the equipment so it encourages everyone to stay fit to fight," Williams said. He added that mission accomplisment depends on a fit force.

"Fitness is very important for (the health of) Airmen and civilians," the fitness instructor said. "I'm very proud of Mr. Ward for how far he's come and that he stuck with it."