Ramstein Airman among Sijan award winners

RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas — Air Force officials have recognized four Airmen with the service’s 2009 Lance P. Sijan Air Force Leadership Award.

The Sijan award annually recognizes Airmen who demonstrate outstanding leadership abilities. The junior officer category winner is Capt. Rachel M. Phillips, who is assigned to Sembach with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

Captain Phillips expertly developed, planned and executed robust strategic-level counter-intelligence operations to neutralize hostile intelligence and terrorist groups.
During her last deployment, Captain Phillips led more than 50 missions into hostile territory in Afghanistan, which resulted in the elimination of seven Taliban leaders from the battlefield.

The Lance P. Sijan award was first presented in 1981. It is named in honor of the first U.S. Air Force Academy graduate to receive the Medal of Honor.

Captain Sijan was shot down over Vietnam on Nov. 9, 1967, and evaded capture for 45 days despite severe injuries. He later died while in a Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp and was presented the Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroism.