Hill honors its best with Team Hill Awards

  • Published
  • By Mary Lou Gorny
  • Hilltop Times Editor
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah --  Col. Kathryn Kolbe, 75th Air Base Wing commander, presented awards to the top performers on base April 10 at the Hill Aerospace Museum.

The event gives all host and tenant units the chance to nominate their best Airmen and civilians.

Hundreds of attendees heard from keynote speaker, Col. Scott Long, 388th Fighter Wing commander, who praised the awardees and nominees and spoke on the theme of maintaining strength during these challenging times for our nation.

"Of all the 120 billion people who have lived on this planet only 5 percent of them have tasted freedom," said Long. "Despite our current economy, we are still the finest nation on the planet with the most freedom."

He went on to laud the winners in the room saying, "If you look at all the winners tonight they represent an amazing team -- Team Hill. These winners represent something that we have that others don't, and what is special about us is the bond that we have called trust."

He said that the uniform worn is the bond that is critical to keeping the nation free because of the trust it represents between those who wear it.

"That trust is something you cannot put a price tag on," said Long. "If our budget continues to be cut, we will still have trust in each other, and we are going to get through this together."

"That teamwork and trust will keep us free, and these awardees will ensure that while on their watch we won't lose that freedom. We will persevere, because strong principles and strength matter."

Long concluded, "These winners represent something much larger than themselves, and I'm very proud of the winners and nominees."

Maj. Gen. H. Brent Baker Sr., Ogden Air Logistics Complex commander, also spoke briefly as he congratulated the winners and thanked all the community leaders for their support.

The winners included the following:

Team Hill Airman of the Year, Airman 1st Class Marc Paras, 388th Fighter Wing.

Paras is an armament maintenance team member from the 388th Equipment Maintenance Squadron. He performed over 800 unscheduled maintenance tasks, and guaranteed that over 1,000 munitions were dropped at a 98.6 percent release rate.

Team Hill Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, Tech. Sgt. Adrienne Murphy, 75th Air Base Wing.

Murphy is the Noncommissioned Officer in Charge of the Resource Management Office for the 75th Medical Support Squadron. Leading a team of eight Airmen, the sergeant also governed 12 programs, supported nine clinics, and was named Air Force Materiel Command's Health Services NCO of the Year for 2012.

Team Hill Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, Master Sgt. Chi Swanson, 75th Air Base Wing.

Swanson is the Team Hill Career Assistance advisor representing the 75th Force Support Squadron. She directed 64 professional enhancement and First Term Airman Center courses and coordinated over 1,000 curriculum hours, ensuring the professional development of over 1,000 Airmen.

Team Hill First Sergeant of the Year, Master Sgt. Vincent Brass, 75th Air Base Wing.

Brass was the first sergeant for the 75th Security Forces Squadron. He was the only first sergeant from the 75th Air Base Wing to deploy, where he would ensure the morale and welfare of over 1,200 combat warfighters at a base in Southwest Asia.

Team Hill Company Grade Officer of the Year, Capt. Jeffrey Hoover, ICBM Directorate.

Hoover is an executive officer for the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center. He led a multi-organization IPT Item Unique Identification Nuclear Weapons Related Material Marking Plan achieving 100 percent asset tracking and ensuring progress toward the Air Force Materiel Command-led Outcome 5.

Team Hill Field Grade Officer of the Year, Maj. Jon McComb, 748th Supply Chain Management Group.

McComb managed an $83 million landing gear overhaul contract and collaborated with the Ogden Distribution Logistics Agency, System Program Office and the warfighter to reduce back orders by 70 percent.

Team Hill IMA of the Year, Maj. Paula Ross, Ogden Air Logistics Complex.

Ross is the Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the director, 309th Component Maintenance Group. Her leadership enabled the group to produce and repair over 46 thousand items valued at over $410 million. She also implemented the group's audit plan, where she streamlined processes and ensured AS9100 and AS9110 certifications.

Team Hill Honor Guard Airman of the Year, Senior Airman Michael Ford, 729th Air Control Squadron.

Ford expertly executed 57 military and civilian postings, committing 790 man-hours to bolster community support and involvement. Ford also led flight members through a rigorous Cross-Fit class, instilling teamwork, discipline and pride while boosting scores on the Air Force physical fitness tests.

Team Hill Honor Guard Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, Staff Sgt. Kaela Suarez, Charlie Flight.

Suarez coordinated and performed over 70 military funeral honor requests where her team was lauded as "true professionals" by 27 families. Suarez also led over 800 man-hours in military and civilian details and coordinated 97 honor guard events, enhancing the program's honored traditions.

Team Hill Civilian of the Year, Category One, John Kippen, Ogden Air Logistics Complex.

Kippen is an industrial engineer technician with the 581st Missile Maintenance Squadron with seven years of federal service. He flawlessly planned a $1.3 million workload, completing packages for over 600 assets and improving on-time delivery by 15 percent.

Team Hill Civilian of the Year, Category Two, Tom Petit, 367th Training Support Squadron.

Petit is a graphic illustrator with the 367th Training Support Squadron with seven years of federal service. He led the art production on a 3-D simulator where he created taxiway signs and 20 realistic buildings to revolutionize the Air Force's airfield driver training.

Team Hill Civilian of the Year, Category Three, Stephanie Winiecki, 75th Air Base Wing.

Winiecki is a pest management craftsman with the 75th Civil Engineer Squadron with 12 years of federal service. She eradicated over 100 migratory birds from the airfield flight path, protecting 1 billion dollars worth of combat aircraft and their pilots.

Team Hill Civilian of the Year, Category Four, William Souza, Ogden Air Logistics Complex.

Souza is an aircraft mechanic with the 571st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron with two years of federal service. He was named No. 1 of 11 aircraft mechanics in the squadron, and was critical to the Rig and Operations Section where he eliminated a five aircraft backlog in one week's time.

Team Hill Civilian of the Year, Category Five, Charles Metcalf, 367th Training Support Squadron.

Metcalf is a supervisory training specialist with the 367th Training Support Squadron with nine years of federal service. He was the architect of the Air Force's first-ever 3D Airfield Driver Course, putting students in real-world scenarios and saving over $350,000 in outsourcing costs.

Team Hill Volunteer of the Year, Tyler Deamer, ICBM Directorate.

Deamer is a program manager for the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center. He was the unit lead on the Junior Force Council Food Drive, in which 8,000 pounds of food was collected and donated to over 2,000 needy families. Deamer also led the 2012 Junior Force Council Speaker Series, where over 300 Team Hill attendees were educated on the transition of 5 centers and Hill Air Force Base key leadership.

Team Hill Team of the Year, Primary Care Flight, 75th Medical Group.