Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center recognizes annual award winners

  • Published

The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center announced its annual award winners at a ceremony Jan. 24 at the Mountain View Club here.

“Congratulations to our winners for their exceptional efforts throughout 2018 to ensure our nation’s most powerful weapon systems are never doubted and always feared,” said Maj. Gen. Shaun Morris, AFNWC commander.

The center’s winners will compete at the next level for Air Force Materiel Command’s annual awards.

AFNWC 2018 Winners

·         Airman of the Year – Senior Airman Michele Anderson; Nuclear Command, Control and Communications (NC3) Integration Directorate; Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts

·         Noncommissioned Officer of the Year – Technical Sgt. Donald DeRusha; Air Delivered Capabilities Directorate; Eglin AFB; Florida

·         Senior NCO of the Year Master Sgt. Brandon Tanaka, Air Delivered Capabilities Directorate, Eglin AFB

·         Company Grade Officer of the Year – Capt. Christopher Benson; ICBM Systems Directorate; Hill AFB, Utah

·         Field Grade Officer of the Year – Maj. Allen DeNeve; Air Delivered Capabilities Directorate; Kirtland AFB

·         Category I Civilian of the Year – Khoa Dinh, ICBM Systems Directorate, Hill AFB

·         Category II Civilian of the Year – Andrea Foote, ICBM Systems Directorate, Hill AFB

·         Category III Civilian of the Year – William J. Schanke, ICBM Systems Directorate, Hill AFB

·         Category IV Civilian of the Year – Michael Hall; Air Delivered Capabilities Directorate; Tinker AFB, Oklahoma

·         Team of the Year – Ground Based Strategic Deterrent Requirements Validation Team, ICBM Systems Directorate, Hill AFB (Lt. Col. Joseph Hank, team lead; Tyler Deamer; Kortnie Frye; Keith Lucas; Nicholas Maughan; Marinela Meguro; Nathan Miller; Todd Pardoe; Katie Peterson and Robert Watson)

·         Outstanding Service Awards – Michael Martinez, Nuclear Technology and Integration Directorate, Kirtland AFB, and James Breidenbach, NC3 Integration Directorate, Los Angeles AFB, California

The center is responsible for synchronizing all aspects of nuclear materiel management on behalf of Air Force Materiel Command in direct support of Air Force Global Strike Command. Headquartered at Kirtland AFB, the center has about 1,100 personnel assigned to 18 locations worldwide.