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FOUR AIRMEN TO RECEIVE
2002 LANCE P. SIJAN AIR FORCE LEADERSHIP AWARD
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) – Four airmen are being recognized with the service's 2002 Lance P. Sijan Air Force Leadership Award.The Sijan award annually recognizes a senior and junior officer and a senior and junior enlisted person who demonstrates outstanding leadership abilities while assigned to organizations at the wing level or below.The 2002 recipients include:Maj. Robert G. Armfield, who is recognized for serving as director of operations while assigned to the 24th Special Tactics Squadron at Pope Air Force Base, N.C. Armfield led the 197-person squadron through exercise and contingency planning and training.
He was the mission commander and operations officer for eight months during Operation Enduring Freedom, leading 80 deployed airmen engaged in combat operations. Armfield is currently attending the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, Ala.Capt. Jeffrey W. Marshall, from the 24th STS at Pope. Marshall managed 24 combat and support people, $2 million in facilities and equipment, and a training budget of $250,000. He was a flight commander, operations officer and mission commander for three months during Operation Enduring Freedom.
He led troops into battle on the first night of the ground war.Senior Master Sgt. Kevin J. Fraher. He maintained 974 facilities (4.6 million square feet), and 22,000 acres of real estate, including 537 acres of airfield pavement as the operations flight superintendent for the 2nd Civil Engineer Squadron at Barksdale AFB, La. He led 213 engineers in construction of the largest bare-base supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Fraher also received the Bronze Star Medal.Tech. Sgt. Donald L. Ellis, recognized for his efforts while assigned to the 374th Operations Support Squadron at Yokota Air Base, Japan.
Dual-hatted as the chief of the training and deployments section and as a loadmaster for the Tanker Airlift Control Element, Ellis planned and organized the manpower and equipment requirements for deployed TALCE operations. He was selected as the recipient of the Staff Sgt. Henry "Red" Erwin Award, which annually recognizes the Air Force's top enlisted aircrew noncommissioned officer.
The Lance P. Sijan award was first given in 1981 and is named in honor of the first Air Force Academy graduate to receive the Medal of Honor. Lance Sijan was shot down over Vietnam on 9 November 1967, and successfully evaded capture for 45 days despite severe injuries. He later died while in a North Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp.Sijan was later presented the Air Force Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroism.The awards will be presented by the Air Force Chief of Staff at a later date.
( Courtesy of Air Force Personnel Center News Service )
Special to Historical Militaria – 17 January 2003
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Back to News
FOUR AIRMEN TO RECEIVE
2002 LANCE P. SIJAN AIR FORCE LEADERSHIP AWARD
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) – Four airmen are being recognized with the service's 2002 Lance P. Sijan Air Force Leadership Award.The Sijan award annually recognizes a senior and junior officer and a senior and junior enlisted person who demonstrates outstanding leadership abilities while assigned to organizations at the wing level or below.The 2002 recipients include:Maj. Robert G. Armfield, who is recognized for serving as director of operations while assigned to the 24th Special Tactics Squadron at Pope Air Force Base, N.C. Armfield led the 197-person squadron through exercise and contingency planning and training.
He was the mission commander and operations officer for eight months during Operation Enduring Freedom, leading 80 deployed airmen engaged in combat operations. Armfield is currently attending the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, Ala.Capt. Jeffrey W. Marshall, from the 24th STS at Pope. Marshall managed 24 combat and support people, $2 million in facilities and equipment, and a training budget of $250,000. He was a flight commander, operations officer and mission commander for three months during Operation Enduring Freedom.
He led troops into battle on the first night of the ground war.Senior Master Sgt. Kevin J. Fraher. He maintained 974 facilities (4.6 million square feet), and 22,000 acres of real estate, including 537 acres of airfield pavement as the operations flight superintendent for the 2nd Civil Engineer Squadron at Barksdale AFB, La. He led 213 engineers in construction of the largest bare-base supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Fraher also received the Bronze Star Medal.Tech. Sgt. Donald L. Ellis, recognized for his efforts while assigned to the 374th Operations Support Squadron at Yokota Air Base, Japan.
Dual-hatted as the chief of the training and deployments section and as a loadmaster for the Tanker Airlift Control Element, Ellis planned and organized the manpower and equipment requirements for deployed TALCE operations. He was selected as the recipient of the Staff Sgt. Henry "Red" Erwin Award, which annually recognizes the Air Force's top enlisted aircrew noncommissioned officer.
The Lance P. Sijan award was first given in 1981 and is named in honor of the first Air Force Academy graduate to receive the Medal of Honor. Lance Sijan was shot down over Vietnam on 9 November 1967, and successfully evaded capture for 45 days despite severe injuries. He later died while in a North Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp.Sijan was later presented the Air Force Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroism.The awards will be presented by the Air Force Chief of Staff at a later date.
( Courtesy of Air Force Personnel Center News Service )
Special to Historical Militaria – 17 January 2003
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