Kadena adds to list of 2012 award winners

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Malia Jenkins
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  During 2012, the units on Kadena earned a vast amount and variety of individual and squadron awards.

The 18th Wing Command Post and Chapel, and 18th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron were no exception.

Master Sgt. Tamesia Boone, 18th Wing Chapel superintendent of chapel operations, earned the Pacific Air Forces level Gerrald Cullins award and Senior Airman Kailey Collins, 18th Wing CP emergency actions controller, earned PACAF CP Airman of the Year.

The 18th AES earned the major command's Outstanding Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron of the Year award for 2012 and Master Sgt. Michael Jones, 18th AES operations support flight chief, earned the PACAF Aeromedical Evacuation Excellence in Leadership and Management award.

The Gerrald Cullins Award goes to an outstanding active-duty chaplain assistant senior NCO in the U.S. Air Force Chaplain Corps. The winner is selected based on leadership, job performance, significant self-improvement and base or community involvement.

Boone is a leader and a scholar who distinguished herself by mastering a 40-hour senior enlisted joint professional military education course where she raised joint mission knowledge. She developed a $4.5-million facility renovation plan for a 29,000 sq. ft. merger that will save $2.7 million and reduce energy use by more than $120,000 a year.

Also, Boone is an active member within the community as the vice president of the parent, teacher and student organization at Kadena High School. She has supervised school business programs, giving more than 150 hours for training multicultural interns.

Earning CP Airman of the Year, Collins received the wing "Outstanding Performer" award during the operation readiness exercise in 2012 and facilitated a medical evacuation for an infant in need of immediate care. During the medical evacuation, she directed ground response crews and coordinated with the intensive care unit reception desk to ensure the baby received proper care.

She also helped preserve $60 million of Air Force assets by dispatching the bases' emergency responder personnel to four F-15 Eagle in-flight emergencies.

Jones earned the AE Excellence in Leadership and Management award by charting career paths for approximately 80 enlisted members and steering Airmen to earn distinguished awards. Additionally, he helped strengthen U.S. and Japan relations by coordinating a base tour of approximately four schools and an orphanage for a Japanese distinguished visitor.

Through the accomplishments of the junior Airmen, NCOs, senior NCOs and officers within the squadron, the 18th AES also captured the Outstanding Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron of the Year award through their hard work and dedication.

18th AES personnel postured approximately 782 flyers, created more than 100 operational readiness exercise crews and won "Outstanding Team" awards from the inspector general. They guided 10 Pacific Command typhoon evacuations and prepared $3.3 million in medical equipment with zero mission gaps.

Kadena is proud of the squadron and members who have earned these awards, adding to the many others for the year.