BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, California –
On the evening of February 6, 2016, 940th Wing members and guests honored its heritage and acknowledged the hard working men and women at a combined dining out and annual awards banquet themed, "Return of the Refuelers" at the Recce Point Club here.
The evening started off with the presentation of the Colors, by the 9th Reconnaissance Wing Honor Guard and a riveting rendition of the national anthem performed by Master Sgt. Cedrick Coward, 713th Combat Operations Squadron. The event continued with official toasts and a remembrance ceremony for our nation's service members Killed in Action, Prisoners of War and Missing in Action.
Dining outs have been a long-standing tradition in the military and Col. John Trnka, 940th Wing Commander fortified the purpose of the evening's events just before dinner.
"Let's not forget that tonight is about breaking bread together as a community with friends and family, strengthening our camaraderie while observing military customs and recognizing individual and unit accomplishments that went above and beyond all year."
After dinner, the guest speaker, Col. Christopher Amend, 940th Wing Chief of Program Integration for the KC-135 Stratotankers returning to Beale tied in the theme for the evening, "Return of the Refuelers," by incorporating history and the way forward for the 940th Wing.
"The 940th Wing has undergone a lot of changes in its history," said Amend. "When we lost the tanker mission in 2008, we picked up an ISR mission with the RQ-4 Global Hawk, and now we are gearing up to lose the RQ-4 administratively and open up our arms again to the tankers. All these changes make for an exciting way forward and demonstrate to us that there is nothing the 940th can't handle."
The Annual Awards portion of the evening recognized all the nominees and winners as the wing's best performers throughout the year.
"Tonight we are here to recognize outstanding members from within the 940th Wing who have demonstrated a high degree of performance, personal and professional development, and selfless service to their community," said Master Sgt. Amy Stultz, 940th Aerospace Medical Squadron and one of the emcees for the evening.
2015 940th Wing Annual Awards Winners are:
Senior Airman Jose Garcia, 701st Combat Operations Squadron
Tech. Sgt. Jason Bond, 940th Force Support Squadron
Master Sgt. Fabian Taijeron, 701st Combat Operations Squadron
Capt. Jason Rearick, 701st Combat Operations Squadron
Maj. Jared Jurgensmeier, 701st Combat Operations Squadron
Ms. Harshmir Gill, 710th Combat Operations Squadron
The 13th Reconnaissance Squadron, commanded by Lt. Col. Karyn Christen, received the 940th Wing Team of the year award for going above and beyond as a community to excel at their mission and contribute to the wing and Air Force Reserve.
The 940th Wing Annual Awards Banquet and Dining Out was an opportunity for Airmen, leadership and their families to enjoy time together outside of a work setting according to Tech. Sgt. Kyle Woods, 940th Civil Engineer Flight Logistics NCOIC.
"It was fun to get everyone together and celebrate everyone's accomplishments," said Woods, "Plus it was nice for our families to participate in our military traditions."