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Show HILLTOP TIMES TIMES April 10,2007 Despite cold and snow... BEN STRASSER/U.S. Atr Forte Air Force Materiel Command's First Sergeant of the Year, Senior Master Sgt. Scott L Leach (center), poses with Gen. Bruce Carlson (left), AFMC commander, and Chief Master Sgt. William C. Gurney, command chief for AFMC. Leach is assigned to the 75th Security Forces Squadron, Hill Air Force Base. He was selected from nine nominees during a ceremony at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force on April 2. RYAN MCGEENEY/Standard-Examiner Bryce Spraciley, 8, braves the cold and snow to deliver food items, collected from homes in his own neighborhood, to the Boy Scout food drive collection point at the Browning Armory in South Ogden on March 29. The Airman's Attic at Hill Air Force Base was among drop-off points for the collection efforts meant to benefit many community food banks and other service groups that assist those in need. Scouts gather goods to help out community resource groups, food banks something his troop has done for several years. His troop has noticed that every year, people seem to get more generous. "Every year it gets busier and we are housands of boys across the constantly doing something," said 14Top of Utah scouted for food year-old Dakhota Keller. Saturday morning, and now the He enjoys the day and anticipates the state's food pantry shelves are much hard work and the doughnuts. heavier. "It's not so bad," he said as he passed Scouts battled the cold, wind and out doughnuts to his friends. The boys sometimes blizzard conditions to gather and their leaders unloaded pallets and food for those in need during the annual tried to keep warm by staying busy with "Scouting for Food" drive. their work. "They really toughed it out and The Browning Armory location was worked through the snow," said Philip equipped with the Weber County Mobile Eborn, the program director for the Command and the National Guard to ofTrapper Trails Council. The Trapper fer help and to let the Scouts have a look Trails Council encompasses areas from at the equipment. Kaysville to southern Idaho and into Wyoming. The food drive was statewide, The work of the food drive started with much of the food gathered going to at the beginning of last week when Cub the Utah Food Bank and Weber and DaScouts across the state passed out Scoutvis County groups, such as Catholic Com- ing for Food bags and reminded people to munity Services with the Ogden Rescue set their cans out Saturday morning. The Mission, Salvation Army and Your Com- work didn't end Saturday, either. munity Connection. Eborn's Layton Boy Scout troop spends two or three days a year at the various The Airman's Attic at Hill Air Force food pantries, organizing and loading the Base, the Family Connection and Fish food on the shelves, something Eborn and Loaves are.main drop-off points in thinks is a good opportunity for the boys Davis County. to see that the food is really going to The Scouts collected more food this good use. year by about 15,000 pounds, collecting 640,076 pounds of food in the council. The boys already have a pretty good Eborn thinks it is because of the growth idea, though. in the west Kaysville and West Weber "I love jumping out of the truck and areas. getting the bags," 11-year-old Dalton La"We also have more registered youth brum said. and more awareness," Eborn said. "We Seventeen-year-old Marcel Navarro added an area in west Kaysville and they shivered in the back of the truck after collected over 28,000 pounds of food." unloading all the food, but felt it was He is excited with the success of the worth his time. drive, especially considering the cold "I know it's something good," he said. weather conditions. Scoutmaster Destry Labrum enjoys - "This isn't like most years. This is the watching the Scouts work hard, even coldest it's been," said 15-year-old Jake though they got wet and cold. Frazier. "It's the coldest I remember, but we The Roy resident comes with his troop collected more food this year than in to help unload the food as it comes in; quite a while," Destry Labrum said. BY RACHEL J. TROTTER Standard-Examiner correspondent T DONOR From pagei generosity of Utahns willing to give the gift of life through donation. Last year's successes: • In 2007, Utah received 20,821 new online registrations. This does not include mail-in registrations. • More than 1.1 million people are registered in Utah making the state one of the most giving and gracious states in America. • Nationally, 28,352 people received a life-saving transplant — 281 transplants were performed in Utah. • Nationally, 6,304 people received a "living donation" from another — one partial-liver and 92 kidney donations were performed in Utah. Master Sgt. Terrell L. Murray retired in January from Hill Air Force Base after serving in the 388th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron since 2002 with a total of 23172 years in the military. Fortunately, Sgt. Murray was one of the 35 people in Utah to receive a life-saving heart transplant which he received in April 2007. Diag- BEN STRASSER/U.S. Air Force Air Force Materiel Command's Airman of the Year, Senior Airman Jeremy J. Dixon (center), poses with Gen. Bruce Carlson (left), AFMC commander, and Chief Master Sgt. William C. Gurney, command chief for AFMC. Dixon, of the 775th Civil Engineer Squadron, Hill AFB, was selected from nine nominees during a ceremony at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force on April 2. BEST From pagei commander, along with co-workers, friends and family attended the ceremony honoring the command's top enlisted airmen. "It was 41 years ago this month that Chief Master Sgt. Paul Airey became the first chief master sergeant of the Air Force," Gen. Carlson said during his remarks to the audience. "It marked the beginning of better opportunities — like education — for the enlisted corps. "Today's enlisted corps exhibits more professionalism than when I first joined the Air Force in 1971, and it is more technically proficient," the general continued. "I'm fortunate to be part of a ceremony that honors a cross section of Air Force Materiel Command's outstanding enlisted members." Chief Master Sgt. William C. Gurney, command chief for AFMC, oversaw a behind-thescenes committee charged nosed with congestive heart failure, Murray had a defibrillator implant for a year prior to being placed on the transplant list. He received a telephone call from LDS Hospital after waiting 8 months when a donor match was finally available. "We had planned for the moment but when we received the call, it was very surreal," Murray said. He celebrates his first year anniversary as a recipient of a donor heart on April 29. When asked to reflect back on his experience, Murray said, "I think about it every day, and I'm amazed at how blessed with putting the event together. Responsibilities ranged from reviewing nomination packages to handling logistics for the ceremony. "An outstanding team from across the command worked very hard to make this a memorable occasion for our airmen and guests," Chief Gurney said. "The importance of the Outstanding Airmen of the Year program is evident by the support and attendance of General Carlson, as well as AFMCs center and wing commanders," Gurney continued. 'The event is the one time each year we bring together our top enlisted performers. It provides us with an opportunity to thank them and their families for their sacrifices and for the difference they make in AFMC and the Air Force." Those selected will now represent AFMC in the Air Force Twelve Outstanding Airmen of the Year and First Sergeant of the Year competitions. Officials expect results to be announced later this summer. lam." Tbday there are more than 97,000 people waiting in the United States for a life-saving transplant. • In 2007 more than 6,000 people died waiting—35 of those in Utah. • Eighteen to 20 people will die every day waiting. • Every 12 minutes another name will be added to the national wait list. For more information about organ and tissue donation, contact Kathie Roman, the National Kidney Foundation of Utah and Idaho, at 540-6854. Tb register online, go to www.yesutah.org. |