AFSA announces award winners

The Air Force Sergeants Association’s International President Jeffrey Ledoux took some time out last week to visit with senior base officers and enlisted leadership during the annual Division 16 Professional Airman’s Conference, providing them with an up to date review on what Congress is planning to do with their benefits.

Mr. Ledoux also recognized AFSA’s “best of the best for 2010” across U.S. Air Forces in Europe. These winners will proceed to the international conference to compete at the highest levels. Those who were recognized were:

Individual Awards
President’s Award: Senior Master Sgt. Daniel Janssen, Chapter 1669, Royal Air Force Lakenheath
Member of the Year: Senior Master Sgt. Kevin Gunnip, Chapter 1674, Ramstein
Noncommissioned Officer of the Year: Tech. Sgt. Sally White, Chapter 1660, Incirlik Air Base, Turkey
Airman of the Year: Airman 1st Class Taylor Mogford, Chapter 1670, RAF Mildenhall
Volunteer Service Person Award: Master Sgt. Rebecca Janssen, Chapter 1670, RAF Mildenhall
Recruiter of the Year: Senior Master Sgt. Robert Valenca, Chapter 1669, Aviano AB

Team Awards
Large Chapter of the Year: Chapter 1669, RAF Lakenheath
Small Chapter of the Year Chapter 1670, RAF Mildenhall
Community Service Award: Chapter 1670, RAF Mildenhall
Web Site of the Year: Chapter 1674, Ramstein

AFSA is partnered with 33 other professional organizations called “The Military Coalition” that advises the country’s leaders at all levels of the government concerning a variety of issues ranging from quality of life to weapons spending.

AFSA is one of about a dozen professional military organizations that is chartered to lobby on the hill and fight for your concerns and benefits. AFSA initiatives affect the total force, including officers, and are the only Air Force professional organization dedicated solely to the people behind the stripes.

Each year, Congress and the Department of Defense make hundreds of decisions on issues that directly affect the lives of enlisted people and their families. Congress employs only 23 percent of leaders that have ever served in the military. The key issues on AFSA’s scope of interest include medical care, job security, pay, commissary privileges, education benefits, etc. AFSA is one of the larger organizations (approximately 110,000 members) in the military coalition and has led the way on both Capitol Hill, in the Pentagon, and in the White House.

Communication is the key to AFSA keeping its worldwide membership informed of activities on Capitol Hill. AFSA publishes its own professional magazine, “Sergeants,” six times each year and is widely respected for its content.  The “AFSA Enlisted Almanac,” published each January and February, is widely sought after for research and useful information by officers and enlisted and their families.

Additionally, AFSA has its own highly respected website and a weekly newsletter published every Friday. AFSA also maintains a toll-free hot line with daily messages on the latest events on Capitol Hill. Call 1-800-638-0594.

For more information about AFSA, call toll-free 1-800-638-0594 or 301-899-3500 or visit www.hqafsa.org. To speak with someone in the KMC, Chapter 1674 on Ramstein has meetings at 11:30 a.m. every third Friday of the month at the Rhineland Dining Facility. For details, e-mail afsaramstein@yahoo.com or visit www.afsa1674.org.

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