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AFMC Airmen, team among winners of 2017 AF nuclear deterrence operations awards

  • Published
  • Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
WASHINGTON (AFNS) --  

Air Force officials recently named two Air Force Materiel Command Airmen and an AFMC team as winners of the 2017 Nuclear Deterrence Operations Award.

“Congratulations on a job well done to the winners of the 2017 Nuclear Deterrence Operations Awards and the Nuclear & Missile Operations Awards. The service members and civilians charged with the mission of nuclear deterrence, nuclear strike, and nuclear surety hold a great responsibility in protecting our Nation. We’re recognizing the best of the best among that group. Their stellar performance correlates directly to the standards our Air Force expects," said Lt. Gen. Jack Weinstein, Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, Headquarters Air Force.

The Nuclear Deterrence Operations Award recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of Airmen contributing to nuclear deterrence operations.

AFMC Nuclear Deterrence Operations Award winners include the following:

- Category I Civilian of the Year: Jared Cragun, 581st Munitions Maintenance Squadron
- Category III Civilian of the Year: Keith Hedgepeth, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center
- Professional Team: Ground Based Strategic Deterrent

Col. Heath Collins, Jim Webster, Karl Rogers, Maj. Todd Rotramel, Keith Lucas, Lt. Jorge Martinez, Lt. Robert Rodgers, Lt. Blake Branton, Phillip Ingraham, Garrett Veenendaal, Justin Hinman, Jason Henrie, Jamie Marsh, Chase Darlington, Jodi Messenger, Robert Watson, David Hamblin, Sean Reiter, Lt. Jerrod Mertz, Micki Mitchell, Tyler Hodson, Jared Anderson, Paul Stoker, Drake Mailes, Destry Grogan, Capt. Jake Bradosky, Lt. Col. Joe Hank, Kortnie Frye, Charles Alvey, Maj. Cheronda Spann, Lt. Jourdan Harris, Matt Woolley, Col. Don Hunt, Brian Zwerdlin, Capt. Chris Benson, Sharen Wirkus, Brooke McNally, Paul Catmull, Kyle Fox, Jay Jacobs, Steven Knight, Michael Hensley, John Corriea, John Stedge, Candice Gebhardt, David Turner, Mari Meguro, Maj. Marcus Wells, Lynn Betts, Godwin Shelley, Bruce Arnold, Darren Rabosky, Lt. Col. Chad Searle, Jeremy Bodin, Phil Jones, Roy Ramey, Mark Elkins, Kevin Zimmerschied, Bruce Dennison, Lt. Yazmin Garcia-Smith, Scott Wessell, Wesley Pound, Jaime Veglia, Nicholas Maughan, Stephen Huve, Logan Harris, Irvin Jacobs, Sandi Marino, Paul Chisholm, David Garrett, Alex Landon, Casey Sherman, Kurt Schmidt, Michael Davenport, Tyler Deamer, Christiansen Christian, Don Jacob, Lt. Christopher Hopkins, John Palmer, Jeffrey Nusser, Megan Wheeler, Cindy Aguillard, Yvonne Romero, Lauri Clark, Donald Sandberg, Kelsey Porto, Shannon Clugston, Micheal Bowles, Matthew Poll, Gavin Poston, Paul Chisholm, Howard Eugh, and Matt Regan

These outstanding nuclear professionals were selected from a diverse field within the Air Force’s major commands, unified combatant commands and other agencies including the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard.

The Nuclear Operations Awards Program is administered and overseen by deputy chief of staff, Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, Headquarters Air Force, in accordance with AFI 36-2870, Nuclear Operations Awards Program.