Photo By Airman 1st Class Geneva Nguyen | U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Cory D. Elliott, ground transportation specialist...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE ANACOSTIA-BOLLING, Washington, D.C. — At 3 a.m. on a snowy winter night, the sound of an alarm pierced through the darkness at the home of Senior Airman Cory Elliott, a ground transportation specialist assigned to the 11th Logistics Readiness Squadron. He quietly slipped out of bed and quickly got ready for his shift without waking his wife and son.
As he stepped outside, the frigid air wrapped around him and bit at his skin. The thermometer read 13°F. The silence of the night was broken by the crunch of his boots making his way through stretches of snow blanketing the ground. The world outside was still sound asleep, but Elliott was already on the move to start his 12-hour shift at the motor pool.
Elliot was one of the Airmen from the 11th LRS tasked to support movements during both the state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter and the 60th presidential inauguration, which occurred within two weeks of each other. His duties included driving mission essential personnel to and from rehearsals and ensuring vehicles were ready for movement.
“For three months, I was working from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. for six days a week and was on call 24/7,” said Elliot. “My job was to make sure the members of the [Air Force] Honor Guard, band, cordon team, and other support agencies got to where they needed to go safely and on time.”
The quiet and level-headed 29-year-old was no stranger operating different types of vehicles and machines. Prior to joining the Air Force in 2018, Elliott worked various jobs as a mechanic at an auto shop and as a certified forklift operator at warehouses, which he said he thoroughly enjoyed.
Although Elliott didn’t mind the long work days, it still wasn’t an easy task as the National Capital Region experienced the coldest winter since 2016. The pronounced cold presented unique challenges that Elliot and his team had to account for.
With temperature plunging to 5°F on some days, Elliot said he had to monitor and inspect vehicles more frequently than normal to check for early signs of adverse effects of the cold on engines including fluid leaks, snapped belts, and frozen pipes.
Elliott's expertise and experience were crucial in navigating the icy conditions of winter storms.
At approximately 7:40 a.m. Jan. 7, 2025, Elliott was driving a coach bus to transport service members from Joint Base Andrews, Md., to the capital when a passenger car in front of him spun out of control.
“I couldn’t panic because I have all these people on the bus,” said Elliott. “On top of that, I had traffic on one side of the bus and a ditch on the other. So the options on what to do were very limited and with how quick things happened, I had to figure out what to do as fast as possible.”
Struggling with little space between them, he performed an emergency safety maneuver to keep the bus from colliding with the cars in front and around him. Thanks to Elliott’s extensive training and experience in operating large vehicles, he was able to safely bring the bus to a stop and prevented a costly accident.
“It was pretty miraculous,” said U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Spencer Nelson, programming officer with the 316th Civil Engineering Squadron who was on board at the time. “If we had gotten in a wreck or injured, it’d have created a huge dent in the operation since we had already been credentialed to support the events. Not only were we safe, Elliott even managed to get us to rehearsal on time.”
Elliott’s quick thinking and ability to stay calm saved 43 Airmen from harm that day.
The incident highlighted his unwavering dedication to his team and mission. But for Elliott, it wasn’t just about the immediate response. It was a reflection of the values instilled in him from a young age—a sense of duty, responsibility, and honor.
These values were rooted in his upbringing. His father, U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Timothy Ledford, currently serves as chief for an aircrew flight equipment flight at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. As Elliott watched his father rise through the ranks while earning respect and admiration, he viewed that legacy as a guide.
Determined to follow in his father's footsteps, Elliott said he aims to carve his own path and reach similar heights with strength and purpose.
| Date Taken: | 02.21.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.21.2025 09:01 |
| Story ID: | 491201 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE ANACOSTIA-BOLLING, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Web Views: | 46 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Hero behind wheels: Airman's road to presidential support, by A1C Geneva Nguyen, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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