Air Force Association recognizes outstanding service members

May 11—Members of the G.V. Sonny Montgomery Chapter 376 of the Air & Space Force Association, local elected officials and airmen from the Mississippi Air National Guard 186th Air Refueling Wing at Key Field gathered Thursday to recognize airmen who have gone above and beyond at the Air Force Association's annual meeting.

Langford Knight, president of the chapter, said the annual meeting is a time to both celebrate current and former members of the U.S. armed forces and chart a path forward for the organization's efforts to educate the public on the need for highly trained airmen and advanced air capabilities.

"We want to support our troops and remember the heritage that we have," he said. "We want to educate the public or the need for an unparalleled air and space force, and particularly for the emphasis on STEM, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education."

The chapter also recognizes four airmen from the units that make up the 186th Air Refueling Wing, Knight said, who are nominated by their units' leadership.

Lt. Col. Jeremiah Mikell said this year's Airman of the Year for both the wing and the state is Senior Airman Tyler Fant. Fant, he said, was deployed and unable to attend Thursday's meeting in person.

"During this award period, he demonstrated exceptional leadership and performance in his primary duty and other aspects of the whole airman concept," Mikell said. "He significantly improved the power and resiliency of the combat rating center in Gulfport by repairing and maintaining all their emergency generators."

Fant is also heavily involved in the community, Mikell said, having organized the American Heart Association's Youth Program in Biloxi along with completing a degree in construction management at the University of Southern Mississippi.

"His exceptional performance and leadership and dedication to service make him an invaluable asset to the Air Force and The Mississippi Air National Guard," he said.

Lt. Will Edmondson said this year's Outstanding Noncommissioned Officer of the Year Tech Sgt. Stephen Roe of the 248th Air Traffic Control Squadron is both diligent and efficient. This past year, he said, Roe handled numerous emergency and air ambulance flights as well as completing his weather observer certification from the Federal Aviation Administration.

"He personally handled 300 air ambulance flights, ensuring the safety of those individuals," Edmondson said. "He personally handled seven in-flight emergencies ensuring the safety of the crew of those aircraft, and he also finished ALS, became an FAA certified weather observer and became a watch supervisor in our air traffic control supervisor."

The Outstanding Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year award was given to Master Sgt. James Munn of the 186th Security Forces Squadron. Mikell said Munn has served as an investigator, handled security for important VIP visits to Key Field, worked with numerous local, state and federal law enforcement agencies and helped train other airmen and implement programs to keep members of the 186th Air Refueling Wing safe.

"Master Sgt. Munn is an exceptional investigator who set the highest standards in conducting solo and joint investigations, upholding military justice and investigating a wide range of violations which resulted in multiple convictions," Mikell said. "He has also demonstrated exceptional leadership skills in training military investigators, revamping our threat working groups and implementing active shooter training programs."

Lt. Col. Patrick Threatt, who presented the Wayne Benthall Leadership Award, said Benthall was an airman of upstanding character, and each year's winner of the award is chosen because they share those characteristics. This year's recipient, Master Sgt. Christopher Thomas, is one of two flight chiefs tasked with making sure aircraft are in the air when and where they need to be.

"Their leadership is instrumental to making sure all of our sorties take place," he said.

Under Thomas' leadership, the unit not only met but exceeded the mission capable rate goals set by Air Mobility command, Threatt said.

The final airman recognized Thursday was Tech Sgt. Alyssa Gould, who was awarded the G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery Patriot leadership award. Mikell, who presented the award, said Gould serves a vital role in the 186th Air Refueling Wing overseeing intrusion detection programs, vetting contractors and employees who come on base, protecting the base from unmanned aerial vehicles and more.

"Her expertise is sought after and we're fortunate to have her in our squadron, group and wing," he said.

In addition to the five airmen, Knight said the Air Force Association also recognizes an outstanding teacher of the year who teaches STEM subjects in the local community. This year's teacher of the year, he said, is West Lauderdale Elementary School's Melody Clymer.

Knight said he had the opportunity to visit Clymer's fourth-grade class and see the way she helped her students engage with STEM subjects.

"I heard a quote one time that said, 'Man's mind, once expanded, never returns to its original dimensions,' and that's what she was doing," he said.

Clymer is the chapter's teacher of the year, which comes with a $250 check to purchase supplies for her classroom, Knight said, and she is also the Air Force Association's state teacher of the year. With that comes additional recognition, another certificate and an additional $500 to spend purchasing things for her classroom.

"I want to say thank you. It's very much an honor," Clymer said. "And I really want to say thank you for valuing and supporting STEM education so much because it is really important."

The guest speaker at Thursday's meeting was retired Maj. Gen. Billy M. Nabors, a former commanding officer of the 186th Air Refueling Wing, who served as assistant adjutant general and commander of the Mississippi Air National Guard before retiring in 2022. Nabors gave airmen insight into the questions and concerns plaguing the nation's top military minds as what he said is extreme partisanship, digital intrusion and subversion and foreign enemies create a cloud of uncertainty about the nation's ability and willingness to stomach the realities of war, if needed.

The constitution, Nabors said, gives Congress the power to declare war, and the last time that power was used was in 1942 following the attack on Pearl Harbor. The attack was a catalyst that united the American people around the war effort and made them willing to accept the conditions necessary to win World War II, he said.

America's military is still the dominant fighting force on the planet, but a conflict on the scale of World War II would still be insurmountable if the military did not have support of the nation's economic power as well. What catalyst will be required before Americans are again willing to bring that economic power to bear, he said.

"America is the most powerful country on the face of the earth," he said. "But only if we chose to be."

Contact Thomas Howard at thoward@themeridianstar.com