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Show HILLTOP TIMES Hilltop TIMES April 18, 2013 5 "We will persevere, because strong principles and strength matter" COL SCOTT LONG, 388th Fighter Wing commander Airman 1st Class Paras Tech. Sgt. Murphy Master Sgt. Swanson Capt. Hoover Maj. McComb Maj. Ross Metcalf Deamer AWARDS From page 1 times for our nation. "Of all the 120 billion people who have lived on this planet only 5 percent of them have tasted freedom," said Long. "Despite our current economy, we are still the finest nation on the planet with the most freedom." He went on to laud the winners in the room saying, "If you look at all the winners tonight they represent an amazing team — Team Hill. These winners represent something that we have that others don't, and what is special about us is the bond that we have called trust." He said that the uniform worn is the bond that is critical to keeping the nation free because of the trust it represents between those who wear it. "That trust is something you cannot put a price tag on," said Long. "If our budget continues to be cut, we will still have trust in each other, and we are going to get through this together." "That teamwork and trust will keep us free, and these awardees will ensure that while on their watch we won't lose that freedom. We will persevere, because strong principles and strength matter." Long concluded, "These winners represent something much larger than themselves, and I'm very proud of the winners and nominees." Maj. Gen. H. Brent Baker Sr., Ogden Air Logistics Complex commander, also spoke briefly as he congratulated the winners and thanked all the community leaders for their support. The winners included the following: Team Hill Airman of the Year, Airman 1st Class Marc Paras, 388th Fighter Wing. Paras is an armament maintenance team member from the 388th Equipment Maintenance Squadron. He performed over 800 unscheduled maintenance tasks, and guaranteed that over 1,000 munitions were dropped at a 98.6 percent release rate. Team Hill Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, Tech. Sgt. Adrienne Murphy, 75th Air Base Wing. Murphy is the Noncommissioned Officer in Charge of the Resource Management Office for the 75th Medical Support Squadron. Leading a team of eight Airmen, the sergeant also governed 12 programs, supported nine clinics, and was named Air Force Materiel Command's Health Services NCO of the Year for 2012. VOLLEYBALL From page 1 of service members all over the world," said Col. Kraig Hanson, 75th Mission Support Group commander. Hill has hosted Air Force men's and women's volleyball trial camps in previous years, but this is the first year the base will host the championship event. The annual event was most recently held at Great Lakes Naval Station, Ill. Carey Karger, Hill AFB's fitness center director, said the base was chosen to host the tournament this year based on its excellent staff, facilities and success with hosting previous trial camps. Both Air Force men's and women's trial camps will also be held at Hill AFB this year. Thirty-one athletes from across the Air Force will attend camp April 15-30 before final teams of 12 players from each gender will compete in the championship tournament against teams from the others services in May. The Air Force men's and women's volleyball teams are one of a handful of athletic teams sponsored by the Air Force Sports Program, Senior Airman Ford Staff Sgt. Suarez Team Hill Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, Master Sgt. Chi Swanson, 75th Air Base Wing. Swanson is the Team Hill Career Assistance advisor representing the 75th Force Support Squadron. She directed 64 professional enhancement and First Term Airman Center courses and coordinated over 1,000 curriculum hours, ensuring the professional development of over 1,000 Airmen. Team Hill First Sergeant of the Year, Master Sgt. Vincent Brass, 75th Air Base Wing (not pictured). Brass was the first sergeant for the 75th Security Forces Squadron. He was the only first sergeant from the 75th Air Base Wing to deploy, where he would ensure the morale and welfare of over 1,200 combat warfighters at a base in Southwest Asia. Team Hill Company Grade Officer of the Year, Capt. Jeffrey Hoover, ICBM Directorate. Hoover is an executive officer for the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center. He led a multi-organization IPT Item Unique Identification Nuclear Weapons Related Material Marking Plan achieving 100 percent asset tracking and ensuring progress toward the Air Force Materiel Command-led Outcome 5. Team Hill Field Grade Officer of the Year, Maj. Jon McComb, 748th Supply Chain Management Group. McComb managed an $83 million landing gear overhaul contract and collaborated with the Ogden Distribution Logistics Agency, System Program Office and the warfighter to reduce back orders by 70 percent. Team Hill IMA of the Year, Maj. Paula Ross, Ogden Air Logistics Complex. Ross is the Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the director, 309th Component Maintenance Group. Her leadership enabled the group to produce and repair over 46 thousand items which gives active duty, National Guard and reserve Air Force members the opportunity to participate in armed forces, national and international related sports competitions. The "armed forces competitions promote goodwill among the services through sports," Karger said. Following the championship tournament at Hill, the best players from each of the services based on their play will be selected to the armed forces men's and women's volleyball team, and will advance to represent the U.S. military at the USA Volleyball Open National Championships May 24-29 in Louisville, Ky. The two teams will train May 14-23 at Hill AFB before departing for Kentucky, where they will compete against club teams from throughout the United States and compete for the National Championship. Players that excel in that tournament may be selected for the U.S. National Team. All of the Air Force teams' expenses are covered through nonappropriated funds, or non-taxpayer dollars. The armed forces championship at Hill AFB will not be open to the general public; however, tournament news will be available on the Hill website at www.hill.af.mil Kippen valued at over $410 million. She also implemented the group's audit plan, where she streamlined processes and ensured AS9100 and AS9110 certifications. Team Hill Honor Guard Airman of the Year, Senior Airman Michael Ford, 729th Air Control Squadron. Ford expertly executed 57 military and civilian postings, committing 790 man-hours to bolster community support and involvement. Ford also led flight members through a rigorous Cross-Fit class, instilling teamwork, discipline and pride while boosting scores on the Air Force physical fitness tests. Team Hill Honor Guard Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, Staff Sgt. Kaela Suarez, Charlie Flight. Suarez coordinated and performed over 70 military funeral honor requests where her team was lauded as "true professionals" by 27 families. Suarez also led over 800 man-hours in military and civilian details and coordinated 97 honor guard events, enhancing the program's honored traditions. Team Hill Civilian of the Year, Category One, John Kippen, Ogden Air Logistics Complex. Kippen is an industrial engineer technician with the 581st Missile Maintenance Squadron with seven years of federal service. He flawlessly planned a $1.3 million workload, completing packages for over 600 assets and improving on-time delivery by 15 percent. Team Hill Civilian of the Year, Category Two, Tom Petit, 367th Training Support Squadron (not pictured). Petit is a graphic illustrator with the 367th Training Support Squadron with seven years of federal service. He led the art production on a 3-D simulator where he created taxiway signs and 20 realistic buildings to revolutionize the Air Force's airfield driver training. Team Hill Civilian of the Year, Category Three, Stephanie Winiecki, 75th Air Base Wing (not pictured). Winiecki is a pest management craftsman with the 75th Civil Engineer Squadron with 12 years of federal service. She eradicated over 100 migratory birds from the airfield flight path, protecting 1 billion dollars worth of combat aircraft and their pilots. Team Hill Civilian of the Year, CatWilliam Souza, Ogden Air egory Four, Logistics Complex (not pictured). Souza is an aircraft mechanic with the 571st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron with two years of federal service. He was named No. 1 of 11 aircraft mechanics in the squadron, and was critical to the Rig and Operations Section where he eliminated a five aircraft backlog in one week's time. Team Hill Civilian of the Year, Category Five, Charles Metcalf, 367th Training Support Squadron. Metcalf is a supervisory training specialist with the 367th Training Support Squadron with nine years of federal service. He was the architect of the Air Force's first-ever 3D Airfield Driver Course, putting students in real-world scenarios and saving over $350,000 in outsourcing costs. Team Hill Volunteer of the Year, Tyler Deamer, ICBM Directorate. Deamer is a program manager for the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center. He was the unit lead on the Junior Force Council Food Drive, in which 8,000 pounds of food was collected and donated to over 2,000 needy families. Deamer also led the 2012 Junior Force Council Speaker Series, where over 300 Team Hill attendees were educated on the transition of 5 centers and Hill Air Force Base key leadership. Team Hill Team of the Year, Primary Care Flight, 75th Medical Group. Filmmaker honors deployed women's sacrifices BY SENIOR AIRMAN KATHERINE TEREYAMA 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs A . VIANO AIR BASE, Italy — "I'm coming home, I'm coming home. Tell the world I'm coming home." As the song fades, along with an image of a uniformed woman hugging her young son, JulieHera DeStefano watched as an audience of Airmen silently wiped away tears and took a collective deep breath in. Aviano Airmen were given the opportunity to view parts of a film, entitled "Journey to Normal: Women of War Come Home," that highlights eight women's deployments to Afghanistan and the joys and difficulties of returning home. "Journey to Normal" focuses on the different experiences of each woman as well as the commonalities between each of their stories, and hopes to make those stories relatable on a "mother, sister, daughter, wife" level, said DeStefano, the film's director and producer. The image at the end of the film's trailer is a familiar one, one of a service member returning from deployment. That's where the story ends for most of the American public. "Reunions aren't always like what they see in the movies," said Capt. Sarah Byron Smith, one of the audience members, after the viewing. "We have to get to know our friends, our family, our spouses and our children all over again and that takes time." Her journey toward understanding this reintegration process began in 2009 while she was watching an episode of Oprah featuring service members returning from Iraq. One woman's story truly affected her in a way that, according to DeStefano "truly altered the course of my personal and professional life." The woman went to make her daughter a sandwich and realized that she could no longer perform the task the same way because she had lost her arm. "It was in that moment, in the middle of this basic motherly task that she's trying to perform that she had to acknowledge that her commitment to serve had altered everything that would come after," DeStefano said. The filmmaker has spent the last four years researching, filming and interviewing the eight women featured in the film and dozens more. "There are very few instances where people go directly to veterans and say 'Tell me your story, help me understand and tell me what's going to be helpful and supportive to you when you're returning home.' I saw a unique opportunity to change that." |