SSgt Roddrick Boykin’s Meticulous Attention to Detail Adds Value to the Exchange Team
One in a series highlighting service members assigned to the Exchange
Who he is: SSgt Roddrick Boykin, Assistant NCO of the Military Personnel Office, Executive Group.
Years of experience: Eight years of service in the Air Force. Boykin has been with the Exchange since January.
Why he joined the Air Force: Boykin felt stagnant in his college progression, leading to a direction-changing conversation with his grandfather.
“I joined the Air Force to follow in my grandfather’s footsteps,” Boykin said. “He did 20 years in the Air Force as Security Forces, and it always made me look up to and admire him even more than I already did. When I started feeling like college wasn’t taking me where I wanted to go, I knew there had to be more in life and my grandfather was quick to point out that there was and I could find it in the military”
What he does in the Air Force: Boykin is a personnel NCO who handles behind-the-scenes responsibilities required to keep Airmen and their families ready and fit to fight.
“In the Air Force, I’m a Command Support Staff technician,” Boykin said. “I take care of all the admin work to make sure Airmen can do their jobs without worrying about that side of it.”
His role at the Exchange: “At the Exchange, I have a command and support staff role as well,” Boykin said. “I’m responsible for everything from making sure military members’ evaluations are completed on time to keeping all their records as up to date as possible and everything in between. I take care of their leave paperwork and make sure their travel gets approved. I’m also responsible for the Air Force budget at the Exchange. There are a lot of different parts to my job, but overall, it’s administrative, and my goal is to make the active-duty members stationed here are worry-free when it comes to all the admin issues.”
Being part of the Exchange family: Boykin says that being part of the Exchange has already given him a new positive perspective on his career.
“Being part of the Exchange has been a unique experience in the most positive way possible,” Boykin said. “I feel like even though I’m doing similar work here at the Exchange, it’s already given me a huge leg up and a better attitude toward my future career.”
“I had a preconceived expectation about what the corporate civilian side of my job was like,” Boykin said. “I recently attended the Retail, Food and Services Managers Conference, and I was able to see a very different and much brighter view of the corporate world. Seeing everyone so excited and the camaraderie and connectedness between all the teams made me think this might be something I’d like to do on the civilian side.”
Family Serving Family: To Boykin, the Exchange core value of “Family Serving Family” not only aligns with his view of service but also with the Air Force core values.
“The Exchange does a great job emphasizing the importance of service while at the same time promoting a sense of unity,” Boykin said. “Yes, we agreed to serve, and we’re out here serving others, but at the same time, these people are our family, so it makes it that much more fulfilling.”
