Civilian of the Year

Four Liberty Wing employees vie for the honor to be named 512th Airlift Wing's Civilian of the Year and the opportunity to compete at the Air Force Reserve Command-level competition. The winner will be announced at the wing's annual awards banquet March 5, 2016, in Dover, Del. (U.S. Air Force graphic)

CGO of the Year

Four Liberty Wing officers vie for the honor to be named 512th Airlift Wing's Company Grade Officer of the Year and the opportunity to compete at the Air Force Reserve Command-level competition. The winner will be announced at the wing's annual awards banquet March 5, 2016, in Dover, Del. (U.S. Air Force graphic)

Senior NCO of the Year

Four Liberty Wing senior NCOs vie for the honor to be named 512th Airlift Wing's Senior NCO of the Year and the opportunity to compete at the Air Force Reserve Command-level competition. The winner will be announced at the wing's annual awards banquet March 5, 2016, in Dover, Del. (U.S. Air Force graphic)

Mission Support Group staged to win

Published March 2, 2016
By Veronica Aceveda
512th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --

With 13 of the 20 nominees, the 512th Mission Support Group is poised to win big at the wing’s annual awards banquet March 5 at the Rollins Center.

The group’s civil engineer squadron can rally behind a candidate in each of the military categories including Airman, NCO, Senior NCO and Company Grade Officer. They are Senior Airman Terill Strothers, Staff Sgt. John Nelson, Senior Master Sgt. Gregory Locke and then Capt. John Pickering.

“I have seen (the 512th CES) successfully tackle a lot of challenges this past year,” said Col. Laura J. Radley, 512th MSG commander. “I couldn’t be more pleased to see each of these members recognized for those accomplishments.”

The 512th Force Support Squadron also boasts four contenders, but they’re all vying for the same Civilian of the Year title. They are Pamela Withrow, Catherine Florczak, John Young and Laura Coseglia. Withrow, Florczak and Young have all competed at the wing-level before, but this is Coseglia’s first time in the annual line-up.

Young, who has been a federal employee in the MSG for 20 years, said he considers it an honor to compete against members of his same unit, because he knows they are top notch.

Capt. James Black, the 512th Security Forces Squadron, doubled his chances to win the CGO of the Year by having won two quarterly award competitions last year, which gave him two separate nods for the annual CGO honor.

For the first time in at least 10 years, the MSG’s geographically separated unit at Joint Base Langley Eustis, Va., has two competitors in the wing’s “Best of the Best” event.

“That’s a testament to the leadership of the 71st Aerial Port Squadron’s Commander Maj. Kelly Bronson,” said Radley. “In such a short amount of time, about nine months, he has mentored and led his people to excellence.”

One of them is Senior Airman Devin Teagle, who hopes to bring home the Airman of the Year trophy for his fellow aerial porters. Capt. Josiah Donaldson, also from the 71st APS, rounds out the CGO rivalry.

“I am so proud of the hard work and dedication of all the men and women of the 512th Mission Support Group,” said Radley. This banquet will be my first 512th-centric event, and it’s designed for our Airmen - by our Airmen, and I’m really excited to attend.”