Tyndall Airman goes beyond the uniform to earn ‘Big of the Year’ for bridging base and community

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Vicente Thompkins earned the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal and the Northwest Florida "Big of the Year" award for dedicating over 3,000 hours to youth mentorship off-duty. Driven by the lack of a male role model in his own childhood, Thompkins balances his military career with coaching youth football and mentoring local teenagers to actively bring the Air Force core value of "Service Before Self" to life.