Awards banquet honors top performers Published Feb. 28, 2016 By Tech. Sgt. Lindsey Maurice 433rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas - -- More than 200 Alamo Wing Airmen and their guests joined in celebration to honor the best-of-the-best in the wing at the fifth annual 433rd Airlift Wing Annual Awards Banquet Feb. 27 at Mitchell Hall. Prior to the ceremony, Col. David A. Scott, 433rd AW vice commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Brian Pinsky, 433rd AW command chief, presented annual award nominees as well as fourth quarter award winners with special medallions and their family members with flowers to distinguish them from other attendees at the event. "Congratulations to all of you," said Scott. "This is a great night to celebrate these remarkable Alamo Wing members and their families. Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication." Wing winners were selected based on their work in areas of leadership, job performance, self-improvement and community involvement. The 2015 Alamo Wing Annual Award winners are: Company Grade Officer of the Year - Capt. David Shaw, 433rd Civil Engineer Squadron Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year - Senior Master Sgt. Thomas Wilks, 733rd Training Squadron Noncommissioned Officer of the Year - Staff Sgt. Lin Adams, 433rd Aerospace Medicine Squadron Junior Enlisted Airman of the Year - Staff Sgt. Roberta Kidder, 733rd Training Squadron First Sergeant of the Year - Senior Master Sgt. Samuel Caballero Jr., 74th Aerial Port Squadron Civilian of the Year (Category I) - Andrea Dierkhising, 433rd Maintenance Group Civilian of the Year (Category II) - Minnie Jones, 433rd Airlift Wing Civilian of the Year (Category III) - Nathan Strohschein, 356th Airlift Squadron During the ceremony, key note speaker Senior Master Sgt. (Dr.) Eric Smith, 340th Flying Training Group, shared some findings he made through research with the audience. "I wondered what happened to awards recipients afterward," he said. "I discovered some award recipients went on and had outstanding careers; however, some award recipients just faded away." The former 433rd AW member and 2014 Alamo Wing First Sergeant of the Year, noted that the "three common denominators that led to their demise" were complacency, not embracing the responsibility of leadership and failing to mentor up and down. He concluded his speech by telling the nominees to not fall into these traps. "A year from now people may not remember what award you earned tonight, but they will remember how you interacted with them," he said. "Take every opportunity to lead and mentor; this is your charge. Let people see what is written on the 1206 (award nomination package) about you is real in actions and deeds. Tonight is your night. Tomorrow, don't start fading away." During the ceremony, Col. Ernest Vasquez, 433rd Medical Group commander, along with Scott, took the opportunity to recognize a few more Alamo Wing Airmen - those within the 433rd AW Drug Demand Reduction Program office - for being named the Outstanding Air Force Reserve Command Base-Level Drug Demand Reduction Program Office for 2015 (Large-size category). Tech. Sgt. Janice Penuelaz, 433rd AMDS DDRP team member, accepted the award on behalf of the team. At the conclusion of this year's ceremony, Pinsky gave special thanks to the 433rd AW First Sergeants Council and the volunteers they enlisted to help put on the ceremony as well as special recognition to the family members who came out to support the nominees. "Thank you to all the family members who came out tonight," he said. "Thank you for supporting us when we come out here on weekends, on our annual tours, when we travel, and when we work from home on our computers at night. Without you, we cannot do what we do."