Tech. Sgt. Dwight Parrish Jr. 

56th Equipment Maintenance Squadron

F-35 Structural Maintenance Craftsman

Hometown: Jacksonville, North Carolina

Years in service: 14

Family: Wife and four (five by Dec. 19) children

Education: Pursuing a Community College of the Air Force through Rio Salado College

Previous assignments: Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri; and Elmendorf AFB, Alaska

Inspirations: My father, Dwight Parrish Sr.

Goals: Attain a bachelor’s degree in business

Greatest feat: Raising soon-to-be five wonderful kids with my wife, Jennifer

Self-description: Mission and personnel-minded

Famous last words: “We’ll make it work.”

Off-duty interests: Bowling, fishing and wood working

Commander’s comments: “Sergeant Parrish has helped our unit to make a pretty significant leap forward in the way we maintain F-35s,” said Lt. Col. Scott Hall, 56th EMS commander. “Up to this point, stab restorations were a major maintenance driver that could keep an aircraft grounded for up to five days. Parrish led five low observable technicians in the completion of an F-35 horizontal stab restoration and slashed the completion time by 88 hours taking the previous repair timeline from 168 hours to 80.”