WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- The 445th Airlift Wing is proud to announce the following Airmen as the first quarter CY 19 award winners;
Airman of the Quarter
Senior Airman Paula Dennis, 445th Security Forces Squadron, fire team member, is the 445th Airlift Wing Airman of the quarter. Dennis fortified Allied Forces Central Europe’s busiest aerial port of debarkation, safeguarding more than 51,000 personnel, more than 14,000 tons of cargo and 923 aircraft. In support of Operation Inherent Resolve, she searched 7,048 vehicles, 7,765 other country nationals, seized five contraband items, and secured 587 assigned personnel. Additionally, the Airman safeguarded 910 cargo movements, established an Internal Security Response Team for shipping more than $6 million in cargo and the Airman supported operations in her area of responsibility. Dennis is pursuing a Community College of the Air Force degree in criminal justice. She devoted more than 60 hours to her deployed location’s chapel services and organized $10,000 in donations, improving the lives of base residents.
NCO of the Quarter
Tech. Sgt. Christian Delacruz, 445th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, aeromedical evacuation technician, is the 445th Airlift Wing NCO of the quarter. Delacruz is a qualified upgrade flyer who has flown in 84 sorties for a total of more than 200 hours. He was a vital AE crew member for the Patriot Warrior exercise where he teamed up with 7,000 participants from the United States and United Kingdom on a critical care team, flying eight missions and transporting 320 patients. He was selected as the AE technician to fly in two stateside missions and supported transport for 14 patients to a higher echelon of care. Delacruz maintained his squadron’s informational technology inventory of more than 200 pieces of equipment and facilitated the transition to Windows 10 with a transition rate of 100 percent. The NCO also supported the Cincinnati/Akron Air Show showcasing AES’s capabilities to more than 90,000 attendees.
Senior NCO of the Quarter
Senior Master Sgt. Gregory Rose, 445th Logistics Readiness Squadron, vehicle maintenance flight chief, is the 445th Airlift Wing Senior NCO of the quarter. Rose managed his deployed unit’s vehicle fleet comprised of 806 vehicles and valued at $106 million. He supported logistics for 8,000 missions and the delivery of 46,000 tons of cargo. He reconditioned 15 assets and safeguarded 39 equipment items worth $600,000. Rose was selected for the honor guard and played Taps during a 9/11 memorial ceremony, honoring fallen heroes and was lauded by the Air Expeditionary Wing commander. He helped ease the vehicle management manpower shortage while boosting the 227th Aviation Regiments maintenance capability by 75 percent. He cemented the development of a scheduled maintenance program, identifying and resolving a mileage data discrepancy thus garnering a 91 percent mission capable rate, thus awarded, “Team of the Month.”
Company Grade Officer of the Quarter
Capt. Casey Cajalne, 445th Aeromedical Staging Squadron clinical nurse, is the 445th Airlift Wing Company Grade Officer of the quarter. Cajalne is identified as an En-Route Patient Staging System expert and was selected to brief aeromedical evacuation patient care concepts. While deployed, Cajalne was the officer-in-charge of referral management where she coordinated 264 referral appointments with five host nation hospitals, saving the Air Force more than $2 million. She was selected as the sole trainer for the expeditionary medical group mass casualty ex triage training event, training 111 members in battlefield medical operations. She participates in base-wide Halloween events, serving military and their families including 144 visits and raised $720 for the force support squadron booster club. She joined her deployed base’s Asian-Pacific Cultural Club and was voted treasurer and worked to expand cultural awareness.