MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Tech. Sgt. Tre’von Mingo is a special handling supervisor with the 25th Aerial Port Squadron at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. The Airmen in the special handling shop inspect and weigh hazardous cargo, classified cargo, human remains, and more to ensure the items are safe for air transport. He is currently training Airmen in his unit on this role since he has deployed multiple times over the years; which means he has plenty of real-world experience to provide.
Mingo originally joined the Air Force Reserve since his family has a history of being in the military. Both of his parents were in the Army, his brother was in the Marine Corps, one of his uncles was in the Air Force, and another uncle is in the Army.
Since joining the reserves, he was able to focus on his education. He attended the University South Alabama and received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration for Logistics and Supply Chain Management in 2017.
He recently returned from a deployment to Southwest Asia. Mingo mentioned that while he was thankful to be home, he said he was proud of how he was able to contribute to “the greater good” by deploying when he did. Being in a leadership and training role as a non-commissioned officer is why Mingo likes to uses this real-world experience to train the Airmen around him.
The biggest piece of advice that Mingo has for Airmen is: “You have two ears and one mouth for a reason,” said Mingo. “Listen twice as much as you speak.”
He said that this advice was especially relevant to deployments. He added that their motto during his first deployment to Kuwait was, “slow is smooth, smooth is fast,” which he said meant if someone was rushing then there would be mistakes. These mistakes would lead to more time and effort being spent later in order to correct them.
“To be a good leader, you have to be able to help people but also need to know how to do your job so that your work can be respected,” said Mingo. “If I don’t know anything about my job, then how can I be expected to help my troops?”
For his contributions while deployed to Southwest Asia in 2021, Mingo received the Air Force Commendation Medal, two Army Achievement Medals, Armed Forces Services Medal, and the Humanitarian Service Medal, as well as a handful of challenge coins.