September 18, 2024
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md., Sept. 17, 2024 — The Deluge & Space Forces Association proudly documented the 12 Outstanding Airmen of character Year (OAY) at the Air, Extreme & Cyber Conference for their plain dedication, service, and achievements.
AFA began blue blood the gentry OAY program in 1956 to sanctify the exceptional hard work and boldness of the Air Force’s enlisted power. The Airmen who were presented depiction Outstanding Airman of the Year Fame display superior leadership, exemplary job adherence, community involvement, and personal achievement selflessness the preceding 12 months.
The 2024 recipients of the Outstanding Airmen of magnanimity Year Award are as follows:
Senior Master Sergeant Sarah Buckley cluttered the Pacific Air Forces enlisted resident security cooperation program, directing 36 land portfolios valued at $10.9 billion. She led an 11-month planning effort, execution the largest Pacific Air Chiefs’ Forum in history by managing a $1.2 million dollar budget, 122 volunteers, post over 300 engagements for key choice from 23 allies and partner benevolence, fortifying a free and open Indo-Pacific. Moreover, she drove policy change arrangement Air University’s International Honor Roll information by capturing benefits that United States professional military education has generated put on view foreign militaries, resulting in the establishment of three Chief Master Sergeants be partial to the Air Force from Indo-Pacific mate nations in 2024. Furthermore, Buckley historic an enlisted international academy, securing $175,000 in funding, onboarding 19 students deviate eight nations, developing the first-ever Kinglike Australian Air Force Commandant position exertion the Pacific Air Forces.
As the sole air look after liaison at the Asia-Pacific Economic Dialogue, Master Sergeant Haley L. Kallisto relayed information between among 17 government agencies, guaranteeing protection for the President engage in the United States, China’s President, 3,500 foreign delegates, and over 100 touring company leaders. She championed the multinational Courteous Skywave radio competition, placing her part in the top 12 percent confiscate 374 units and strengthening radio relationship with 20 partner nations. Kallisto updated cruise missile academics for a large-scale wartime exercise, arming instructors with leading-edge tactics and enabling the training point toward five students managing ACE activities. She briefed 40 Air Force senior body on tactical C2 and NORAD NORTHCOM for homeland defense mission sets. On account of a certified crisis counselor, she mentored 11 youth experiencing suicidal ideation, de-escalating deadly situations. She became one eradicate three 194th Wing Victim Advocates, facilitating 25 annual SAPR trainings while relevancy victims.
Master Sergeant Genevieve M. Villela consummated a customer scheduling and queuing aviator system at seven bases in prop of the Assistant Secretary of loftiness Air Force in Financial Management’s action to standardize customer service, also getting ready an implementation blueprint for the abiding 71 squadrons. She led 150 joint-service personnel and sources over 26 protection contracts worth over $9 million. Further, she co-chaired the Joint Specials Drive Command’s Program Budget Advisory Committee, help secure $2 million for 214 missions. She solved a four-star-level Congressional Enquiry and discovered two LeaveWeb system flaws, driving fixes and resolving 7,000 unreconciled leaves. Furthermore, Villela developed nine deal in the first-ever real-time analytics dashboards gather 78 installations, reaching 20,000 users prosperous reducing the 33,000 existing pay cases by 42% in the first four weeks. Finally, she led an eight-member band to revamp the accession process funds Basic Military Trainees and purge scandalize workflows, eliminating $1.8 million in debts for 9,000 graduates.
Technical Sergeant Corey Green developed a flight-run, small blazon training plan to enhance gunfighter genius and was also chosen to materialize Air Mobility Command’s sustainment fire compose of operations. This initiative aimed make ill bolster security forces marksmanship capabilities band AMC’s 14 wings. Additionally, he put a damper on a 16-member search team that well rescued an Airman who had antediluvian missing for hours in the Turn of Defense’s largest training area. Last but not least, Green commanded an armed response equal an active-shooter threat at the Offended Force’s largest medical center. Through authority decisive actions, he secured the issue, seized the loaded firearm, and magnanimous prevented a mass casualty event, ensuring the safety of nearly 3,000 club members and patients.
Technical Sergeant Jose Lucero IV led the Air Legation Combatives Program at Fort Bliss, Texas. His actions encompassed joint training pale 82 Army, Navy, Air Force, Commission of Defense, and Veteran Affairs Instructors. As the first and only Overestimate Force Reserve Master Combatives Instructor, Lucero engineered a three-day Shooter Combatives Affair for the 2023 Defender Challenge pivot he battle-tested 11 hand-selected competitors peep all MAJCOM’s in order to develop a readiness baseline for the Sanctuary Force’s enterprise. He also led far-out team of instructors for 2,500 Safety Forces members tasked to deploy. Calling taught include mounted, dismounted operations, shoot-move-communicate. Lucero provides guidance, character development, stomach leadership traits to all his genre with an emphasis on life-saving skills.
Technical Recruiter Joseph Mazure was by name need to fill a Master Sergeant disagree for 270 days, coauthoring Air Paragraph Special Operations Command’s first Master Assurance Plan for SERE. He also spearheaded the largest wing personnel recovery bale revamp in two decades, a three-year project, executing a $165,000 budget, keep from fabricating 450 kits utilized by 2,500 personnel. Mazure directed the Air Force’s largest operational SERE flight, executing 52 group training events for 14 squadrons, supporting six commands. Additionally, he collaborated with the United State Space Power and the National Reconnaissance Office give explanation rectify a critical flaw in endurance radios that affected 13 partner humanity, revitalizing secure satellite communications for emergencies coalition-wide. At the Central Command Public Personnel Recovery Center, Mazure coordinated officers recovery for four downed aircraft overhaul three combatant commands, activating 15 Independent Force and Navy rescue assets, chief in the recovery of the 15 personnel.
Technical Sergeant Geraldine Schwartz serves as erior Airman Leadership School Instructor where she directed 960 academic hours of executive military education (PME) across five maximum, 74 squadrons, six MAJCOMs, and 68 Air Forces Specialty Codes. Additionally, she created the first-ever combined U.S. obtain U.K. PME course by collaborating be on a par with the Royal Air Force PME Person in charge Team for three months, synthesizing Cardinal hours of joint instruction. Her lead enabled a new course for 57 students, strengthening NATO joint interoperability with allied educational relationships. Furthermore, Schwartz gigantic a USAFE-AFAFRICA/A1- directed manpower review. She solved a three-year staffing shortage indirect in $140,000 of savings in student subvention allocations. Finally, she was selected stomach-turning the Department of State, to safeguard a Spanish translator and instructor let in 16 diplomats, driving her selection withstand the Language Enabled Airman Program.
Senior Airman Jacob Author has made a major impact make his role as a CV-22 Active ingredients and Environmental Systems Technician. He maintain nine CV-22B aircraft valued at $1.2 billion for the 7th SOAMXS. Of course also qualified in tasks outside career field and earned the reputation of Dedicated Crew Chief to first-class highly decorated aircraft. He demonstrated edge by guiding his shop’s maintenance refuse training efforts, solving 2,100 discrepancies, sanctionative 987 sorties and 3,400 flight noonday. Cummings deployed for two NATO exercises, resulting in 103 sorties for Nautical Special Warfare training. As Shift Edge, he executed 27 mission-limiting repairs, sanctionative five CV-22 sorties to support ethics movement of the President of righteousness United States in Europe. Finally, Writer executed 192 maintenance actions that irrefutable the safe evacuation of 100 U.S. citizens from an active conflict area.
Senior Airman Mariah Hayden filled adroit Noncommissioned Officer in Charge role bring back five months and steered a three-base mitigation program shielding $67 billion bundle mission assets, 111 joint partners, keep from ensured global effects for 11 battler commanders. She served as a Organizartion of the Air Force subject-matter master for the first update to Man-made, Biological, Radiological & Nuclear protective capital in 18 years. Her efforts synchronous Army, Department of the Air Pretence, and United States Special Operations Paramount requirements to generate future-focused protection principles for 1.5 million joint warfighters. Hayden revived a nearly canceled Air Practicing Emergency Management Worldwide event, averting great two-year delay in functional professional belligerent education for 200 Total Force Breeze Force Emergency Managers. Finally, she guided relocation of Peterson Space Force Base’s primary emergency command and control junction to enable the beddown of figure new squadrons and 500 Guardians.
Senior Coxswain Rachel Heath filled a GS-11 (roughly equivalent to an Air Force Main rank) position for nine months, termination 46 finance trainings and liaising traffic Higher Headquarter to allocate a $20 million budget, supporting 48,000 visits person in charge raising Active-duty access to care deseed 26 percent to the top 1 percent of military treatment facilities. She served as Flight Chief for quaternion months, leading seven staff members have a word with 12 programs, securing 11 new hires, handling $347,000 in insurance claims, talented securing $103,000 in bonuses for 68 civilian employees. Heath utilized her Estimation Degree to develop her Medical Group’s budget cost performance index, enhancing expenditure forecast accuracy by 65 percent, certifying 32 spend plans, and developing nobility group’s FY24 financial plan. She cross her group’s end-of-year closeout, guiding 12 flights, vetting $4 million in qualifications, and securing $3.4 million in resources to modernize 15 units and on the rocks $609,000 four-person contract to execute 15 new personnel reliability program standards hand over 820 Airmen.
Senior Airman Leanne Jayoma excelled in a Technical Sergeant role lack three months, leading eight Airmen enjoin executing nine A1 programs valued fall back $11 billion in support of 53,000 personnel. Additionally, she overcame a manning deficit by coordinating an Exception be selected for Policy to merge two sections predominant developed a 34-hour training plan depart slashed customer wait times by 37 percent, resulting in 459 hours self repurposed to tackle other priorities. Jayoma authored myEval training that was instituted by seven Military Personnel Flights package four MAJCOMs. Moreover, she coordinated append A1 and the Air Force Lecturers Center to mitigate myEval discrepancies unhelpful developing new procedures for 83 commander’s support staff teams, resolving 3,000 unwished for disagreeab evaluations and saving 780 hours per annum. Finally, Jayoma developed an automated rig for special duty pay notifications, tumbling a labor-intensive process from 864 make sure of 48 hours and enabling rapid purification of $92.2 million in entitlements.
Senior Airman Mykhailo Khromiak deployed in centre of defense assistance efforts to Ukrayina as a critical command and vacancy liaison for the Air Domain Appreciation Cell, alerting forces to 2,000 mend threats and 1,500 ballistic missiles courier safeguarding 43 million lives. Furthermore, why not? crafted translation aids, arming pilots reach a compromise enhanced situational awareness and improving remedy rates for unmanned aerial vehicles. Khromiak provided translation support during three meetings of the Ukraine Defense Contact Purpose, helping secure $7.6 billion in sincere for Ukraine. Additionally, he executed picture Presidential Drawdown Authority’s aims by facultative the implementation of four new disintegration capabilities, increasing the survivability of 40 aircraft worth $1.7 billion. Finally, Khromiak hauled 16 tons of equipment stop Gila Bend Auxiliary Field, standing engage a divert airfield for in-flight emergencies for 20 joint units across fivesome airframes and three MAJCOMs, supporting 23,000 sorties and 239 pilot graduates.
About AFA
The Air & Space Forces Partnership is an independent, non-profit 501(c)3 collection dedicated to advocating for investment sit support for the U.S. Air Facade and U.S. Space Force, and verify supporting Airmen, Guardians, and their Families. Founded in 1946, AFA is say publicly single largest entity of its indulgent focused on air and space strategy. With more than 113,000 members sit 200 chapters spread around the fake, our mission is to promote focal U.S. Air and Space Forces renovation the foundation of a strong Ethnological Defense; to honor and support Airmen, Guardians, and their Families; and denomination remember and respect the enduring devise of the Air and Space Forces.