KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Erik Kuhlmann, deputy chief of Aviation Safety Policy and Assurance, and 20-year Air Force veteran, has been awarded the Department of the Air Force Volunteer of the Year award. His lifelong dedication to service spans from life-saving emergency interventions and environmental conservation to therapeutic scuba diving for disabled veterans.
For Kuhlmann, the instinct to help others is a reflex. While dining in Puerto Aventuras, Mexico, with his dive buddy, a man at the next table suddenly went into cardiac arrest. Kuhlmann, drawing on years of military and volunteer firefighter training, sprang into action alongside his friend, a retired federal law enforcement officer.
"I wasn't thinking,” Kuhlmann said. “It's just kind of ingrained behavior, muscle memory."
The pair moved the man to the floor, administered CPR, and managed to resuscitate him. They used nearby pharmacy equipment and the man's Apple Watch to monitor his vitals until paramedics arrived. Kuhlmann credits his ability to react without hesitation to his foundational training, proving that mandatory safety classes ingrain certain actions that allow you to effectively react in emergency situations.
A Lifetime of Service
Kuhlmann’s military career spans 20 years of active duty, primarily as a fighter aircraft mechanic, with stints in Air Force Safety, operational testing, and as a technical school instructor. Today, he has been an Air Force civilian for six years, serving as the deputy chief of Aviation Safety Policy and Assurance, where he investigates mishaps and writes safety policy.
His volunteerism, however, began long before his military service. Following in his father's footsteps, Kuhlmann joined the volunteer fire department in Greenlawn, New York, at age 17. He maintained his commitment to firefighting across multiple military assignments, including while stationed in both Phoenix and Wichita Falls.
Today, his community involvement takes many forms. He umpires local Little League to spend more time with his daughters and serves as his Homeowners Association Vice President, managing infrastructure for 83 properties to bring his ideas to the neighborhood.
Conservation and Healing Through Scuba
An avid diver since 2006, Kuhlmann dedicates significant time to environmental preservation. He is a regular participant in the Blue Hole cleanup in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, in order to protect and preserve these nature spots for future generations.
“We routinely pull sunglasses, smartwatches, and debris from the water,” said Kuhlmann. “But even more importantly, we’re also monitoring the sandstone walls to alert the city of any degradation or potential collapses.”
Kuhlmann is currently expanding his diving expertise by training to become an adaptive scuba diving Scubility Instructor. Adaptive scuba diving allows disabled veterans and individuals suffering from PTSD to experience scuba diving with a trained diver. For those missing limbs or who are paralyzed, Kuhlmann and his team physically guide them through the water.
"It's very therapeutic because scuba diving has been proven to really help people with physical disabilities and mental health issues," Kuhlmann said. "It really is like its own kind of meditation because the only thing you're focusing on is breathing."
The Value of Perspective
For Kuhlmann, volunteering is far more than a civic duty—it is a cornerstone of effective leadership and human connection. He believes stepping outside the military ecosystem allows Airmen and Guardians to confront diverse hardships, cultivating a deep empathy that fundamentally transforms how they lead and support their teams.
"Everybody has problems, and even though you think your problems are bad, there are a lot of people who have it worse," Kuhlmann said. "By volunteering, your eyes are opened to the hardships of others and you can reflect on your own experiences. It gives you perspective. I think it's really helped me calm down, focus on what's really important, and not sweat the small stuff."
By bridging the gap between military installations and local neighborhoods, service members don't just improve the lives of those they help; they expand their own perspectives, proving that the true heart of service extends far beyond the uniform.