Offaly Air Corps Sergeant honoured for selflessness

An Offaly member of the Air Corps who embodies the Defence Forces core principles of respect, integrity, loyalty and selflessness has been honoured by his peers with a major "Values Champion" award.

Flight Sergeant, Brian O'Keeffe, from Walsh Island, outside Geashill, was described by Chief of Staff, Admiral Mark Mellett, DSM, as a highly professional individual who was nominated in a number of categories for the highly coveted award.

The Defence Forces "Values Champion" Awards started in 2018 and the citation received by Flight Sergeant O'Keeffe reads: " for the time devoted to the development, motivation and mentoring of young technicians and apprentices in the Flight Training School."

Among the many attributes which resulted in the Offaly man being recognised at the Awards Ceremony in Baldonnell were his selflessness which is "consistently exhibited in his day to day work," his willingness to volunteer and to put unit operational requirements before his personal needs; his ready imparting of advice on many topics, and his mentoring and shaping of the next generation of aircraft inspectors.

Speaking at the Awards Ceremony, Vice Admiral Mellett said "we have continued to build on our values as we strive for our vision to 'Strengthen the Nation by inspiring pride and leading excellence’. Our values of moral courage and physical courage, respect, integrity, loyalty and selflessness serve as a framework for all our professional decision making and actions, but also for everyday life - and that is only right because our values have equal application when we hang up our uniform at the end of the day."

Flight Sergeant Brian O Keeffe joined the Defence Forces in August 1992, having entered by undertaking an Aircraft Technician Apprenticeship through the Air Corps. On completion of his four year Apprenticeship, he commenced work in No.4 Support wing ARF Hangar, carrying out second line maintenance on Aircraft. During his time there, he worked on numerous Aircraft types, trained as an Advanced Unarmed combat and PTI Instructor, completed his Potential NCO’s course in Athlone, completed his Standard course in DFTC, served overseas in A Company in the 81st Infantry Battalion UNIFIL, worked as a Military Instructor in the Military Training School in Casement Aerodrome, Cadet School DFTC, and in the NCO Training Wing in DFTC.

He was promoted to Flight Sergeant in January of this year, and has completed 28 years of Military Service.

Flight Sergeant O'Keeffe lives in Walsh Island with is wife Aisling, and their three children, Dylan, Ethan and Saoirse.