BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, California –
The 940th Air Refueling Wing members celebrated the bee’s knees at their roaring twenties-themed Annual Awards banquet Feb. 8 in Yuba City, California.
Every year, the wing pauses to honor Reserve Citizen Airmen for their embodiment of one of the Air Force’s core values, “excellence in all we do.”
“Tonight we are gathering to recognize and celebrate our most outstanding individuals from across the wing since they are, after all, the cat’s meow,” said Senior Master Sgt. Robert Thames, 940 ARW senior recruiter.
As the master of ceremonies, Thames began the soiree with a look back at the past century. The history lesson highlighted milestones of how the world evolved and how societal progress affected the military.
“The 1920s were a time of hope, prosperity and cultural change,” he said.
One hundred years ago, the United States entered a period of prohibition, followed by a booming industrial age and ended the decade with the “Great Crash” of Wall Street. During the twenties, women were given the right to vote and began taking on new jobs outside of the household. Air travel technology also progressed when Charles Lindbergh flew the first solo non-stop trans-Atlantic flight in 1927.
It is a fascinating time to look back on, according to the guest speaker, Daniel Fisher, a retired chief master sergeant.
“It’s the decade marked by a tremendous amount of change occurring in our country and its society,” he said. “It changed our lives for good.”
Fisher gave several examples of inventions that are still used today, such as the microwave and radio. People were able to get more accomplished and have free time with these advancements.
He advised Airmen to welcome innovation and forward progress, just as the world did a century ago.
If you embrace change, you can be as good as you were meant to be, he said.
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Congratulation to the 940 ARW 2019’s Annual Award winners:
Airman of the Year – Senior Airman Michelle Lee, 940th Aerospace Medical Squadron
NCO of the Year – Tech Sgt. Luis Delgadillo-Arroyo, 940th Mission Support Group
Senior NCO of the Year – Senior Master Sgt. Robert Greiner, 940th Maintenance Group
First Sergeant of the Year – Master Sgt. Peter Thompson, 940 MSG
Company Grade Officer of the Year – Capt. Jordan Paragoso, 314th Air Refueling Squadron
Field Grade Officer of the Year – Lt. Col. Paul Smith, 940 MXG
Team of the Year – Reserve Deployment Readiness Center, 940th Logistics Readiness Squadron
Junior Civilian of the Year – Tina Poe, 940 ARW
Intermediate Civilian of the Year – Guy Helfgott, 940 MSG
Senior Civilian of the Year – Rocco Agarenzo, 940 MXG
Chief’s Award for Excellence – Master Sgt. Eileen Safford, 940 MXG