TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The 507th Air Refueling Wing here announced the winners of the 2017 507th ARW Annual Awards at the annual banquet in Midwest City, Oklahoma, Feb. 3, 2018.
Col. Dana Nelson, 507th ARW vice commander, hosted the banquet at the Sheraton Reed Conference Center in Midwest City, Okla.
The annual awards program recognizes individuals who excelled in performance and made outstanding contributions to the wing’s mission throughout the year. This year's winners:
507th ARW Airman of the Year: Senior Airman Garrett Guttman, 507th Civil Engineer Squadron
507th ARW NCO of the Year: Staff Sgt. Casey Cottrell, 507th Logistics Readiness Squadron
507th ARW Senior NCO of the Year: Master Sgt. Ricky Buettner, 507th Security Forces Squadron
507th ARW 1st Sgt. of the Year: Senior Master Sgt. Ronald Pyles, 507th Force Support Squadron
507th ARW Company Grade Officer of the Year: 2nd Lt. Ryan Cheney, 507th Security Forces Squadron
507th ARW Civilian of the Year: Mrs. Lauren Gleason, 507th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
507th ARW Spouse of the Year: Mrs. Jennifer Smith, spouse of Master Sgt. David Smith, 507th Security Forces Squadron
Individual unit awards were also announced at the banquet, by the respective leaders of each unit. The unit award winners:
507th ARW Wing Staff 2017 Honey Badger Trophy: Tech. Sgt. Ryan Barnes, 507th ARW Command Post
507th Medical Squadron Combat 2017 Medic of the Year: Staff Sgt. Matthew Loar, 507th MDS
507th Operations Group 2017 Okie MVP: Mrs. Trina Walter, 507th OG
507th Security Forces Squadron 2017 Defender of the Year: Master Sgt. Hector Flores, 507th SFS
507th Logistics Readiness Squadron 2017 Logistics Professional of the Year: Mr. James Steinmann, 507th LRS
507th Civil Engineer Squadron 2017 Civil Engineer of the Year: Tech. Sgt. Jeremiah Terry, 507th CES
507th Force Support Squadron 2017 Summit Award: Tech. Sgt. Amanda Baty, 507th FSS
72nd Aerial Port Squadron 2017 Port Dawg of the Year: Senior Master Sgt. Demetrious Sumlin, 72nd APS
The 507th ARW 2017 maintenance professionals of the year:
Airman category: Staff Sgt. Kaycee Graham, 507th Maintenance Squadron
NCO category: Master Sgt. Daniel Pierce, 507th MXS
Senior NCO category: Senior Master Sgt. Harold Strawderman, 507th MXS
The Tech. Sgt. Billy Hughes Memorial Award is presented annually to an individual in the maintenance group whose duty performance and everyday conduct best exemplifies the U.S. Air Force’s core values.
This award for exemplary enlisted service was instituted to commemorate the life of Tech. Sgt. Billy Hughes, a supervisory aircraft maintenance technician who passed away in active service at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, July 12, 1992, after a decade of honorable service to the wing.
The 2017 Tech. Sgt. Billy Hughes Memorial Award of the Year: Master Sgt. Matthew Pearsall, 507th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron