Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas -- Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James Cody visited Laughlin to be the guest speaker at the Laughlin Annual Awards Banquet, Feb. 12, 2016.
During the ceremony, Cody spoke about airmanship and working hard to achieve Air Force objectives.
“First and foremost, we are about performance,” said Cody. “We do a lot, but if we are not the best at delivering airpower, we are nothing. You should feel really proud because no one is better at Air Power [than we are].”
After setting the tone, Cody highlighted a few of the things the Air Force accomplished in 2015.
“Think about what we did in 2015 - in Iraq and Syria we flew 30,000 sorties,” Cody said. “We accumulated 1.7 million flying hours. Now, 35,000 Airmen stand ready for deterrence 24/7.”
Cody went on to quote retired Army General Colin Powell in a statement regarding excellence as a nod to the Airmen who continually do more than they are required.
“If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude,” Cody said.
In his closing remarks, Cody acknowledged those who put together the banquet and explained what it meant to be there.
“I want to thank everyone who worked on this event to recognize these Airmen, it is important that we do that,” said Cody. “It’s an honor to recognize some of the best Airmen we have in the Air Force.”
The award winning Airmen that were recognized include:
-Senior Airman Cody Sparks, Airman of the Year
-Tech. Sgt. Veronica Logan, NCO of the Year
-Senior Master Sgt. John Burgess, SNCO of the Year
-Capt. Daniel McLaughlin, CGO of the Year
-Maj. Jeremiah Guild, FGO of the Year
-Ms. Irene Dudek, Category 1 Civilian of the Year
-Mr. David Mercer, Category 2 Civilian of the Year
-Mr. Kit Lui, Category 3 Civilian of the Year
-Mr. David Isbell, Flight Chief of the Year
-2nd Lt. Christina McMillen, Flight Commander of the Year
-1st Lt. Robert Belz, Instructor Pilot of the Year
-Master Sgt. Michael Jackson, First Sergeant of the Year
-Senior Airman David Lucas, Honor Guard Member of the Year
-1st Lt. Leland Quinter, Volunteer of the Year
-Civil Engineer Squadron, Squadron of the Year
-T-1 Maintenance, Team of the Year