SPRINGFIELD, Ohio -- The 178th Wing hosted the Ohio Air National Guard Outstanding Airmen of the Year (OAY) awards banquet to honor the nominees at the Courtyard Marriott in Springfield, Ohio, Jan. 6.
Airmen from across the state attended the luncheon to find out which service members were chosen as the state-wide award winners. The Ohio Air National Guard Outstanding Airmen of the Year award winners are:
Airman Tier -- newly promoted Staff Sgt. Jordan Hopson, 121st Air Refueling Wing
Noncommissioned Officer Tier -- Tech. Sgt. Aimee Davey, 178th Wing
Senior Noncommissioned Officer Tier -- Senior Master Sgt. Rebecca Shell, 179th Airlift Wing
Company Grade Officer Tier -- Capt. Marcus Bosch, 178th Wing
First Sergeant Category -- Master Sgt. Shawn Murray, 178th Wing
Honor Guard Category -- Senior Airman Michael White, 180th Fighter Wing
The winning Airmen will compete at the national level to potentially earn the title of Outstanding Airman of the Year for the entire Air National Guard.
The OAY award seeks to honor Airmen who go above and beyond their daily duties. Strong work ethic, community involvement, and leadership are some aspects that help judges determine who will represent the Air National Guard’s best for 2017.
Col. Gregg Hesterman, 178th Wing commander, discussed how he felt about the 178th Airmen successfully achieving half of the winning titles.
“Out of 11 units, the 178th brought home three of six awards overall,” said Hesterman. “I’m totally amazed, but not surprised at all by the performance of our Airmen. It’s just so exciting to see our members bring home the trophies.”
Bosch discussed his feelings after winning the CGO tier award. He credited his leadership and fellow Airmen for his success.
“I feel shocked,” said Bosch. “I didn’t do it all on my own.”
Davey also talked about how she felt when she heard her name announced as a state-wide winner.
“I [felt] super surprised, but grateful,” said Davey. “I’m thankful for my supervision giving me the opportunity to shine.”
Hopson discussed how his win will motivate him going into 2018.
“With it being a new year and just being promoted now, I’m working to further my accomplishments and take it to another level,” said Hopson.