Page 4 - Luke AFB Thunderbolt, January 2019

January 2019 Spotlight Thunderbolt www.aerotechnews.com/lukeafb http://www.luke.af.mil
A4 LS graduates 36
Base recognizes honor guardsmen
The 56th Fighter Wing Airman Leadership School graduated 35 senior airmen and one staff sergeant Dec. 13, 2018, at Luke Air Force Base:
The award winners are:
John L. Levitow Award: Ridge Shan, 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
Distinguished graduates: Enrique Mar- quez, 56th Logistics Readiness Squadron; Korwin Nelson, 56th Equipment Mainte- nance Squadron; and Malachi Speller, 56th Medical Operations Squadron Commandant’s Award: Malachi Speller, 56th MDOS
Academic Achievement Award: Bryson Anderson 144th Maintenance Squadron
The following graduates are senior airmen, unless otherwise noted:
56th Operations Support Squadron
Joshua Anderson and Dylan Hinnant
56th Maintenance Group
Alexa Huffman, Michael Huffman and Chris- topher Lyons
56th EMS
Jonathan Gonzalez, Matthew Green, Daniel Hackney, Giovanny Leontorres, Remington Niemchak and Nicholas Noker
56th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
Rasheed Benjamin, Tanner Carden, Anthony Kachuck, Dakota Lanning, Jeremiah Opyoke and Benjamin Perez
756th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
Kathryn Balster, Allan Harle Jr., Samuel Ness and Samuel Short
56th Civil Engineer Squadron
Ivan Stankewsky
56th Force Support Squadron
Chakaris Lewis
56th Security Forces Squadron
Brent Pico, Jonathan Temple and Joseph Turner
56th LRS
William Ramer and Desmond Satterfield
56th Dental Squadron
Jaelynne Hernandez
944th SFS
Alexandra Haytasingh
151st SFS
Staff Sgt. Lucin Macbride
Courtesy of Tech. Sgt. Kenneth Coderre, 56th FSS
Story and photo by Staff Sgt. FRANKLIN RAMOS
56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
Members from the Luke Air Force Base Honor Guard were awarded the Air Force Achievement Medal Dec. 12, 2018, during an honor guard recogni- tion breakfast ceremony.
Twelve Airmen were recognized for completing a one-year commitment to the honor guard team.
“These 12 guardsmen have col- lectively supported more than 1,000 military funerals and ceremonies, and served over 5,000 hours of ceremonial functions both on and off base,” said Se- nior Airman Alejandro Barrios, Luke AFB honor guardsman and ceremony narrator.
The Luke AFB Honor Guard oper- ates in one of the Air Force’s busiest areas of responsibility.
“This year, the honor guard team provided 760 funeral honors while traveling more than 48,000 miles within the state of Arizona,” Barrios said. “They also supported over 200 community events to include state sessions, veterans’ parades, profes- sional sporting events and numerous base functions while demonstrating pride and professionalism to millions of viewers.”
The mission of base honor guard is to render military honors for veterans and active-duty service members at their interment ceremony.
“The rendering of military honors is a way to show the nation’s gratitude to those who, in times of war and peace, have faithfully defended our country,” Barrios said. “We are charged to pre- serve the sacred tradition of honoring their service.”
The ceremony consisted of a few video presentations, an invocation, breakfast, award presentations by Col. Robert Sylvester, 56th Mission Sup- port Group commander and closing remarks by Col. Michael Richardson, 56th Fighter Wing vice commander.
“It’s important to recognize the sacri- fice and discipline that you have shown as the Luke AFB Honor Guard and the heritage of this base. Precision, fitness, decorum, legacy and heritage, I would say, are the fundamental military tradi- tions,” Richardson said. “Your willing- ness not only to serve our great nation but to honor our service in the way that you have served in honor guard exemplifies these traditions to such a high degree. From some of the most interesting and cheerful times to some of the most heartbreaking times you are there, so thank you for represent- ing everything that our flag stands for.”
Service. it’s who we are. GivinG. it’s what we do.
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