JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Senior Master Sgt. Andrea Gosa is the first sergeant for the 477th Fighter Group staff, 477th Force Support Squadron, 477th Operation Support Flight, and 477th Aerospace Medical Flight.
Q: What led you to join the Air Force Reserve?
A: I’m 6th generation military service, so you could say it runs in my blood.
Q: What was your previous assignment? Where do you claim as your hometown?
A: My previous assignment was Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. I served with the 73rd Airlift Squadron as a flight attendant. I claim O’Fallon, Illinois, as my hometown since we spent the longest amount of time living there.
Q: What is your favorite Air Force memory?
A: Hard question, but I would say, my time flying with my friends all over the world.
Q: What is your favorite part about being a first sergeant?
A: My favorite part of being a first sergeant is being able to directly impact so many people’s lives.
Q: What can your Airmen expect from you?
A: The biggest expectation of any first sergeant should be as a conduit to a multitude of available resources. While we sometimes must deal with the hard or tragic, we are primarily there for our troop’s health - physical, mental and spiritual, as well as their professional development, moral and overall quality of life.
Q: What advice do you have for them?
A: My best advice for any Airman is to take care of yourself and your home, everything else will fall into place. When you have troubles in your personal life, they tend to bleed into your professional life and can have adverse effects. Never feel ashamed to take time for YOU.
As far as command goes, what we don’t know we can’t help fix. So, if you are experiencing hardships in your life, the sooner we know about it, the faster we can try to help support the member/members family. We aren’t here to judge; we are here to support every member of this team.
Q: What do you look forward to the most?
A: Now that my children have all the sudden reached high school age, I no longer look forward to much outside of the present. I used to say, “When my kids leave the house,” facetiously of course, but now that it’s getting so close to “that time,” it’s actually a bit sad. I love spending time with my children, so what I look forward to most is just that, spending time with my children.
Q: Who is your hero and why?
A: My hero? I’d say my parents. Both for their own reasons, my mom raising four kids at a relatively young age, going to nursing school and working nights for 30+ years. My father for working two jobs most of his 24-year Air Force career to provide for his family, along with five deployments, a Bronze Star and always being our rock. I know how hard it is to balance all of that and still feel like you are making a positive impact on your family.
Q: When can Airmen contact you? Where do they contact you?
A: Airmen with a big A can always contact me. Whether I am here on status or not, early or late at night I will always take their call.