501st CSW names 2013's Airmen of the Year

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Brian Stives
  • 501st Combat Support Wing Public Affairs
RAF ALCONBURY, United Kingdom --  In a gala event held at the Stukeley Inn at RAF Alconbury Jan. 31, the 501st Combat Support Wing announced its Annual Award winners for 2013 in 12 categories (Airman, Non-Commissioned Officer, Senior Non-Commissioned Officer, First Sergeant, Company Grade Officer, Civilian Category I, Civilian Category II, Honor Guard, Civilian Volunteer, Civilian Volunteer, Key Spouse and Innovator of the Year) who will represent the wing during the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Annual Awards competition.

The annual awards banquet recognizes the nominees for their superior leadership, job performance, community involvement and personal achievements.

The Annual Award winners for the 501st CSW are:

Airman of the Year:
Senior Airman Richard Stokes, 422nd Communications, was named the 501st Combat Support Wing's Airman of the Year. Stokes, from Brandon, Miss., was selected as the maintenance team lead, guiding five Airmen that troubleshot 117 outages. He also led five on an Airmen circuit validation team, spending a total of 1,200 hours to correct 774 cables, an effort that was lauded by a higher headquarters inspection team.

Noncommissioned Officer of the Year:
Staff Sgt. Joseph Burks, 423rd Security Forces Squadron, was named the 501st Combat Support Wing's NCO of the Year. Burks, from Harrison, Ark., certified an alarm system upgrade, part of a 240 man-hour effort that enhanced the system protecting assets at two installations. He also managed the resource protection program validation, spending 216 hours inspecting more than 750 alarm points.

Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year:
Senior Master Sgt. Nikki Drago, 423rd Security Forces Squadron, was named the 501st Combat Support Wing's Senior NCO of the Year. Drago, from St. Louis, was the key liaison between security forces, local police units and Alconbury school leadership in planning and executing an active shooter exercise. He also guided his Airmen to excellence, as they won two command-level, 13 wing-level and six group-level annual awards.

First Sergeant of the Year:
Senior Master Sgt. Dennis Dyke, 421st Air Base Group, was named the 501st Combat Support Wing's First Sergeant of the Year. Dyke, from Lakewood, Ohio, mentored and trained two additional duty first sergeants, creating a job shadow program for training, with one Airman selected to attend the First Sergeant Academy. He also organized night time sobriety checks, leading 14 multi-service senior NCOs from nine agencies to conduct 140 checks that enforced standards and discipline.

Company Grade Officer of the Year:
Capt. Courtney Hemmert, 501st Combat Support Wing Staff, was named the 501st CSW's Company Grade Officer of the Year. Hemmert designed a sexual assault response exercise concept that was used Air Force-wide. She also pioneered a three-hour annual training curriculum that engaged 946 Airmen in 77 small groups.

Civilian Category I:
Leigh Copeland, 422nd Medical Squadron, was named the 501st Combat Support Wing's Civilian Category I of the Year. Copeland, from Cincinnati, was a crucial team member in the RAF Croughton limited scope medical treatment facility being named the Air Force Medical Operating Agency's Best Performing and Most Improved MTF Quarterly Award, garnering $6,000 for clinic improvements. She also monitored and highlighted self-inspection items for the weekly staff meeting, an essential component of the 422nd MDS excelling during a staff assistance visit.

Civilian Category II of the Year:
Emmanuel Ine, 423rd Civil Engineer Squadron, was named the 501st Combat Support Wing's Civilian Category II of the Year. Ine spearheaded the demolition of vacant, excess facilities on two installations, meeting 90 percent of the demolition target six years ahead of the 2020 deadline. He also sought out training in design, helping to save $450,000 in design fees.

Honor Guard of the Year:
Tech. Sgt. Adrian Estrada, 422nd Medical Squadron, was named the 501st Combat Support Wing's Honor Guard of the Year. Estrada, from El Paso, Texas, oversaw 860 hours of honor guard training and preparing equipment for 35 ceremonies. He also led the team during both the Bicester and Brackley Remembrance Day parades, helping honor World War I and World War II veterans.

Civilian Volunteer of the Year:
Treena Gilbert, 423rd Security Forces Squadron, was named the 501st Combat Support Wing's Civilian Volunteer of the Year. Gilbert, from Chesterfield, Derbyshire, was the wing project officer for the largest overseas Veteran's Day event, organizing 190 volunteers to host 160 distinguished visitors and 500 other attendees at Madingley American Cemetery. She also led the lunch ticket sales for the Philippines disaster relief drive, raising more than $5,000.

Military Volunteer of the Year:
Airman 1st Class Kylie Cain, 423rd Security Forces Squadron, was named the 501st Combat Support Wing's Military Volunteer of the Year. Cain, from Lodi, Calif., led the volunteer efforts for the 501st CSW Legacy Room renovation at the RAF Feltwell Airman Leadership School, managing 20 Airmen and 160 volunteer hours to promote wing heritage. She also chaired the group haunted bunker committee, overseeing six organizations and 114 volunteer hours.

Key Spouse of the Year:
Nikki Threatt, 423rd Security Forces Squadron, was named the 501st Combat Support Wing's Key Spouse of the Year. Threatt, from Albany, Ore., organized a meal train for a family with a severely ill member in hospital, providing 25 meals so the family could focus on medical care. She also volunteered 47 hours with the Sure Start Program and six Chapel dinners.

Innovator of the Year:
The 422nd Air Base Squadron vehicle operations/maintenance section was named the 501st Combat Support Wing's Innovator of the Year. The section compared the vehicle preventive maintenance inspection schedules in the Air Force Technical Order to the manufacturer's recommended schedules to determine a less costly method to maintain the government-owned vehicle fleet. Aligning the PMI schedule to the manufacturer's guidelines will save more than $154,000 during the first 30,000 miles of usage. Based on their findings, a case study is currently underway to evaluate changing the Air Force Technical Orders.