Liberty Online graduate wins National Guard of the Year for New York and Northeast Region

Managing passengers and cargo on United States military planes, some of which will fly into enemy territory, is a pressure-packed profession that Liberty University alumnus and National Guard Master Sgt. James Segreti (’20) thrives in. But he said he is able to do so thanks to a strong faith in Jesus Christ.

“It’s intense,” he said. “When you’re flying into a hostile country or an environment where there could be bad guys out there who want to hurt us, it’s really an opportunity for me to ask myself those tough questions about life: what am I doing here, what’s my calling, how is my Christian witness affecting those around me, what if I didn’t have tomorrow promised to me, and would what I’m doing right now be something I’d be proud to put my name on?”

Segreti, an enlisted aviator and a C-17 Loadmaster with the 105^th Airlift Wing of the U.S. Air Force National Guard, was named the Air National Guard Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year for the U.S. Northeast Region in April, after earning the N.Y. Air National Guard’s Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year in March. He was one of four airmen selected by a board of senior enlisted airmen from across the branch.

“Honestly I was just really blown away getting the awards,” he said. “Liberty was a big part of that because having a college degree was something they looked at when they considered award recipients.”

Over his 13-year military career, he has been a C-5 Mission Loadmaster, C-17 Mission Loadmaster, C-17 Instructor Loadmaster, and C-17 Evaluator Loadmaster, and has accumulated over 3,000 hours of total flight time, with 550 of those hours compiled while flying into combat zones.

Loadmasters are responsible for overseeing cargo and passengers in an Air Force transport aircraft. Segreti is a full-time Airman who also serves as 105^th Airlift Wing manager for the electronic flight bag, an information management device that provides information to aircrew members. Additionally, he is the technical order distribution officer for the wing’s 137^th Airlift Squadron.

“We handle pretty much everything else other than flying, (including) cargo, loading, offloading, passenger care,” Segreti said. “We are trained to handle any in-flight emergencies and we calculate all the weight and balance on the aircraft. We also have some responsibilities to assist the pilots with what they do up front as well.”

Even after Segreti was recognized as being one of the nation’s finest in his field, the humble airman views life through a witnessing lens.

“For me that’s what it’s always been,” he said. “Obviously there’s the really awesome aspect of serving my country and doing something voluntarily that helps keep Americans safe because that’s a big part of it too. But when I’m in the plane and we’re flying into a hot zone, my thoughts tend to be on a personal and spiritual level.”

It is during these flights, which often times are seven or more hours across the Atlantic Ocean, that Segreti says a door will occasionally open for him to share his faith with a fellow flight member.

“There’s definitely a lot of opportunity,” he said. “My personal approach is to start with being good at my job. I have credibility at my job as being a professional, and I’ll use that as a platform to then mentor people even if it’s just general life stuff like career, marriage, kids, or buying a house. But I use those as conversation starters, and then when the timing’s there and when I feel like God is leading me to say something, I will bring in a faith element.”

Segreti said that this method has been fruitful.

“It’s been amazing to see how many of my co-workers have been receptive to it,” he said.

Not long after graduating high school in 2004, Segreti began working at the  base he currently works at today, determined to rise in the ranks without obtaining a bachelor’s degree. But as the years flew by, the now husband and father of three decided that pursuing an online degree was a new goal he wanted to chase.

“I think the only way I can explain it is that God changed my heart and redirected me,” he said. “I had an associate’s degree through the community college in the Air Force, so I knew I wanted a college that would take that transfer credit and was military-friendly.”

In 2018, while talking with a friend about his college experience through Liberty University Online, Segreti became convinced that this school based in Lynchburg, Va., was for him.

That same year, he enrolled in Liberty to pursue an interdisciplinary studies degree with focuses in business and aviation.

“From the start, I was amazed at how military-friendly Liberty was and just how straightforward and streamlined the admissions process was,” Segreti said. “There was great communication from the Liberty staff and it was just overall really awesome.”

Although he has never stepped foot on Liberty’s campus, Segreti hopes to some day visit the place that has helped him advance his knowledge and pursue his passions.

“I’ve seen pictures of the campus and it looks beautiful. … I’m thankful for my Liberty experience and what it has brought to my career.”