Fighter wing honors its annual award winners Published Feb. 9, 2007 By Master Sgt. Brian S. Orban 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho -- The 366th Fighter Wing honored its best of the best for 2006 during its annual awards banquet Feb. 6. The ceremony selects the top enlisted members, officers and civilian employees as well as the wing's best honor guard member, volunteer and first sergeant. "The Gunfighters consistently display excellence in all we do and ... these proud individuals represent some of the Air Force's finest Airmen," said Col. Tony Rock, 366th FW commander. "As the Gunfighters have been acknowledged as an exceptional combat wing throughout [Air Combat Command] and the entire Air Force, it is the team effort that has made the difference." Finalists were based on a series of competitions starting at the squadron level and moving up to the wing's groups. The winners at this month's banquet move on to face off against their counterparts at other bases in higher headquarters competition. This year's award recipients are as follows: Honor guard ceremonial guardsman -- Senior Airman Emmanuel Santillan Unit and occupation: 366th Services Squadron services apprentice Time in the Air Force: More than two years Time at Mountain Home Air Force Base: Two years Hometown: La Romana, Dominican Republic Hobbies: Playing baseball and intramural sports, snowboarding and Honor Guard drill Most memorable Air Force moment: Deploying to Qatar in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. During his time there, he trained new Airmen with the Al Udeid Honor Guard, formed the base's drill team, and performed before the entire base. Interesting personal fact: "My father always told me that lazy people work twice as hard. So I work hard and try to get it done right the first time." Significant achievements: Airman Santillan represented the wing at 30 honor guard details during the year, including the base's 9/11 retreat ceremony and the Air Force Appreciation Day parade in the city of Mountain Home. He is also a member of the base's Airmen Against Drunk Driving chapter, named a superior performer during the wing's unit compliance inspection and earned the 366th Services Squadron airman of the year honor. Airman -- Staff Sgt. Joseph Wilkinson Unit and occupation: 366th Communication Squadron network technician Time in the Air Force: Nearly five years Time at Mountain Home Air Force Base: 21 months Hometown: Lakeside, Ariz. Hobbies: Going to school, participating in triathlons, snowboarding and playing with his dogs Most memorable Air Force moment: Winning the John Levitow Award at the Airman Leadership School followed by winning the 366th Fighter Wing's Airman of the Year award Interesting personal fact: "My wife and I were born in the same hospital 20 hours apart." Significant achievements: Recently promoted to staff sergeant, he helped transfer 450 clients, 429 computer workstations and 28 medical computer servers to Air Combat Command's new Enterprise Domain system, giving users here complete access to the base's two main computer networks with no break in customer care. He also built his work center's training plan which earned a best practice honorable mention during the wing's recent unit compliance inspection. The sergeant also earned the John L. Levitow and leadership awards at the base's Airman Leadership School and also earned a bachelor's degree in social psychology. Noncommissioned officer -- Tech. Sgt. Stacey Fackelman Unit and occupation: 366th Aeromedical-Dental Squadron health service management craftsman Time in the Air Force: Nine years Time at Mountain Home Air Force Base: Nine years Hometown: Leo, Ind. Hobbies: Hiking, biking, playing basketball and spending time with her family and friends Most memorable Air Force moment: "Being a guest speaker at the Uniformed Business Operations Conference in California." Interesting personal fact: "My husband and I own a mobile disc jockey business." Significant achievements: Sergeant Fackelman reviewed nearly 250 mobility records to prepare her unit for the wing's unit compliance inspection. Her attention to detail directly helped the wing reach a 99 percent compliance rating during the higher headquarters evaluation, according to squadron leaders. She updated training data for nearly 270 military members in a new medical readiness computer-based system, increasing data integrity by 100 percent. Sergeant Fackelman also earned a distinguished graduate award at the NCO Academy, served as the base's Focus 56 club president and earned 32 credits toward her master's degree in public administration. Senior NCO -- Senior Master Sgt. Robert C. Redman Jr. Unit and occupation: 366th Component Maintenance Squadron propulsion flight superintendent Time in the Air Force: 24 years Time at Mountain Home Air Force Base: 16 months Hometown: Palouse, Wash. Hobbies: Hunting, fishing, playing golf and spending time with his family Most memorable Air Force moment: "I have had many, but the one that sticks in my mind the most is when I was first assigned to Tinker Air Force Base, [Okla.] in 1998. My new chief took me down to introduce me to my new immediate supervisor, who was a civilian (I had not worked for a civilian while in the Air Force). This is when they told me that, I would be the only military person assigned to that section (out of approximately 200 workers) and I would also be heavily involved in standing up the F100 engine depot workload while it transferred in from Kelly Air Force Base, [Texas]. I had never stood up a bare bones shop before, let alone a depot-level shop. That three-year assignment turned out to be the best learning experience I have had to date." Interesting personal fact: "I know a lot of people who say they come from small towns where 'everybody knows everybody,' but I don't meet too many folks who had a high school graduating class as small as mine. My graduating class in Palouse, Wash., in 1982 was a grand total of 15." Significant achievements: In addition to winning the wing's senior NCO of the year title, the sergeant garnered the 12th Air Force Gen. Leo Marquez Senior NCO award for 2006. In what his supervisors deemed a banner year for the squadron, he directed more than 744 maintenance actions to maintain 90 aircraft engines while balancing the unit's $53 million budget -- largest operations budget here. Sergeant Redman also taught hunter safety classes to 20 local area children and served as the squadron's Toys for Tots coordinator last Christmas. First sergeant -- Master Sgt. Wendy M. Brazier Unit and occupation: 366th Logistics Readiness Squadron first sergeant Time in the Air Force: 20 1/2 years Time at Mountain Home Air Force Base: Two years Hometown: Pickerington, Ohio Hobbies: Scrap booking and spending time with her family and friends Most memorable Air Force moment: "Can I have two? The first is being STEP promoted to the rank of tech sergeant while assigned to the 355th Security Forces Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base [Ariz.]. Secondly, I went to Washington D.C. for the Air Force Memorial dedication ceremony and got to meet the former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, tour his office and received his 'sec def' coin." Interesting personal fact: "I ran in the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon (26.2 miles) and crossed the finish line six hours later. I also used to be a certified aerobics instructor." Significant achievements: During 2006, Sergeant Brazier refined the wing's post-deployment process, including ways to combat post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among the squadron's military convoy drivers and their families. She acted as liaison to the German air force first sergeant, facilitating logistical support during the German Air Force deployment to Mountain Home Air Force Base. Sergeant Brazier served as the President of the 366th Fighter Wing First Sergeants Council, and mentors as an instructor at base Professional Development Courses. Company grade officer -- Capt. Eric Silver Unit and occupation: Chief of receptions and deployments with the 366th Fighter Wing plans and programs office Time in the Air Force: 19 years Time at Mountain Home Air Force Base: 2 1/2 years Hometown: Philadelphia Hobbies: Teaching, writing and investing Most memorable Air Force moment: "My dad seeing the 'fruits of his labor' come to fruition." Interesting personal fact: "My continuous improvement is to reach my level and no one else's." Significant achievements: Captain Silver coordinated 32 international and U.S. temporary duty assignments and site surveys over a four-month period as the fighter wing's receptions officer and lead efforts related to a recent Pakistani air force visit. As the wing's point of contact regarding the Base Realignment and Closure plan here, he directed 30 ACC and fighter wing agencies, enabling national level basing decisions. Captain Silver is a doctorial student at Walden University and is a member of the local Military Officers Association of America and company grade officers' councils. Field grade officer -- Maj. Richard D. Hoyt Unit and occupation: F-15E pilot, range management flight commander and range operations officer with the 366th Operations Support Squadron Time in the Air Force: 12 1/2 years Time at Mountain Home Air Force Base: 1 1/2 years Hometown: Ontario, Ore. Hobbies: Cross country skiing, cycling, woodworking, computer programming and Website design Most memorable Air Force moment: "Watching the Leonid Meteor Showers on night vision goggles on a combat mission over Afghanistan. You could see them go from horizon to horizon, and you can't explain to anyone how awesome it is to see the night sky through NVGs; it is simply amazing." Interesting personal fact: "I grew up on a ranch in eastern Oregon where I learned to rope and ride at a young age. My folks always tease me that I have something to fall back on if the 'Air Force thing' doesn't work out for me." Significant achievements: During 2006, Major Hoyt spearheaded a U.S. and German mission employment coalition training exercise which earned praised as "best support ever" by the German air force commander. He overhauled the base's comprehensive range plan, which gives the wing a five-year road map for the Mountain Home Bombing Range Complex. As the wing's point man for Operation Air Force visit, Major Hoyt mentored 17 Air Force Academy and ROTC cadets through their orientation at Mountain Home, giving these cadets an introduction into the duties and responsibilities they will encounter as second lieutenants. Flight commander -- Lt. Col. (Dr.) Dennis M. Van Maren Unit and occupation: Dentist and dental flight commander with the 366th Aeromedical Dental Squadron Time in the Air Force: 11 1/2 years Time at Mountain Home Air Force Base: 1 1/2 years Hometown: Lenexa, Kan. Hobbies: Working out (he and his wife spend a lot of time at the gym), scuba diving in warm sunny ocean waters and deep sea Marlin fishing Most memorable Air Force moment: "Today, when my flight gave me a surprise party to congratulate me for my wing award." Interesting personal fact: "As a competitive swimmer at the age of 14, my 800 meter freestyle relay team had the fastest time in the world in 1976." Significant achievements: Colonel Van Maren provided $3.3 million in dental care to patients here over the past year -- 150 percent of the Air Force goal. This achievement helped the medical group earn the 2005 Air Force Top Performing CONUS Military Treatment Facility title. He started a series of dental care optimization initiatives here, which increased annual production savings by more than $500,000. Colonel Van Maren also optimized dental care operations on the mobility processing line, garnering an "outstanding and best in ACC" comment by the command inspector general team during their visit here last year. Junior civilian employee -- Todd Larkin Unit and occupation: Security assistant and expeditionary combat skills trainer with the 366th Fighter Wing plans and programs office Time in the Air Force: Retired from the Air Force after 20 years service Time at Mountain Home Air Force Base: 11 months Hometown: Rockford, Ill. Hobbies: Hunting, fishing, working on vehicles and reading Most memorable Air Force moment: Being an instructor at the Air Force Security Forces Technical School. Interesting personal fact: "One of my favorite singers is Kid Rock."Significant achievements: Mr. Larkin developed a budget proposal to establish the base's new expeditionary combat skills training program, went on to buy or acquire the needed training weapons and field gear, and built up the field exercise area. He also led a team that solved issues regarding the base gate's anti-terrorism and force protection upgrades by researching and buying two pop-up vehicle barriers and 2,200 feet of concrete barriers. His actions were credited with improving base security. He is also an American Legion member, Fraternal Order of Police associate and an American Red Cross cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid instructor. Senior civilian employee -- Blaine Miller Unit and occupation: 366th Services Squadron deputy chief of services Time in the Air Force: Five years active duty and 13 years in the civil service Time at Mountain Home Air Force Base: 1 1/2 years Hometown: Central Point, Ore. Hobbies: Coaching high school sports, playing golf, fishing and culinary arts Most memorable Air Force moment: "Deploying to the Philippines to evacuate people during the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in 1991." Interesting personal fact: "I used to play with a band in Japan that got the opportunity to work with some major entertainers that came through the base. Because they were doing community shows, they often asked our band to play along with them. I have great memories of being on stage with groups like Hootie and the Blowfish, Survivor, Toto, Starship and The Dazz Band." Significant achievements: Squadron officials credit Mr. Miller's leadership for helping the services squadron wing garner two coveted Air Combat Command awards -- the Eubanks and Hennessey trophies. He turned unused dorms into lodging for the visiting members of the German air force, saving $90,000 in travel funds. He also started a series of base town hall forums, starting 23 initiatives based on customer requests mentioned during these meetings. He serves on the Mountain Home Rotary Club and helped raise thousands of dollars in donations for the city's community center. He also coaches the Mountain Home High School football team, which finished third in state-level competition. Volunteer of the year -- Staff Sgt. Andrew Bolduc Unit and occupation: Satellite and wideband systems journeyman with the 726th Air Control Squadron Time in the Air Force: Nearly six years Time at Mountain Home Air Force Base: Just under three years Hometown: San Diego Hobbies: Includes rock climbing, home foundry work, sculpting, drawing, painting, hiking, cooking and baking, sewing, wood work, martial arts, power lifting, photography, origami, snowboarding, camping and making ice cream. Most memorable Air Force moment: "When I received [below-the-zone] promotion at Misawa [Air Base], Japan, during the middle of an exercise. I had just gotten home from a 12-hour night shift. I stripped off all my clothes, and there was a line of chem. gear from the door to the bed, and I just 'crashed.' About an hour later, there was a knock at the door. I ignored it at first, and then I heard the door opening. Next thing I know, the squadron commander, first shirt, my NCOIC and a few other high-ranking individuals were in my room, and I was butt naked." Interesting personal fact: "I'm a recovering alcoholic, and I attribute my sobriety for the past two years to God." Significant achievements: Sergeant Bolduc volunteered 156 hours as a varsity Scout coach for Boy Scouts of America and helped local Scouts complete 20 merit badges and helped two Scouts finish their Eagle Scout awards. He also served as a Girls Camp climbing coordinator and taught basic rock climbing and rappelling to more than 100 young women and counselors over three days. The sergeant also volunteers his time as a Sunday school teacher, personal fitness trainer, martial arts assistant instructor, intramural head coach, the base's Airmen Against Drunk Driving chapter and the Boise Parks and Recreations Department.