Combat Photographer Awards

Master Sergeant Glenn Wilkewitz distinguished himself in the performance of outstanding meritorious service to the United States as Combat Photographer, 107th Fighter Squadron, Michigan Air National Guard, from May 1975 to August 2005. During this period, Sergeant Wilkewitz consistently demonstrated exceptional professionalism, technical expertise, and dedication while documenting critical Air National Guard operations, training, and combat missions. His photographic skills captured invaluable historical records that supported mission planning, after-action reviews, and public affairs efforts across three decades of service. Sergeant Wilkewitz's deployment to Kirkuk Air Base, Iraq, from March to June 2004 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom was particularly noteworthy. Operating in a hostile environment, he expertly documented F-16 combat operations, reconnaissance missions, and ground support activities of the 107th Fighter Squadron, producing high-quality imagery that enhanced operational effectiveness, intelligence dissemination, and morale for deployed personnel. His efforts directly contributed to the squadron's successful integration into coalition air operations and the preservation of a visual history of Air National Guard contributions to the Global War on Terror. The singularly distinctive accomplishments of Master Sergeant Wilkewitz culminate a long and distinguished career in the service of his country and reflect great credit upon himself, the Michigan Air National Guard, and the United States Air Force.

Master Sergeant Martha L. Bergman distinguished herself by meritorious service while serving as Aerial Still Photographer, 4th Combat Camera Squadron, 452nd Air Mobility Wing, March Air Reserve Base, California. During this period, Sergeant Bergman deployed as an aerial combat photographer in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom where she coordinated the rapid distribution of imagery for more than 940 coalition missions from 16 OIF locations. Additionally, she created over 500 OIF news storyboards and helped to compile vital evidence against enemy suspects by documenting criminal hearings for over 20 high value detainees. Two years later, she deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) where she completed 19 combat and humanitarian missions, obtaining more than 2400 images and captioning and transmitting this imagery to worldwide DoD media outlets. Her imagery products received honorable mention in the prestigious Military Photographer of the Year Awards and have appeared on the Reserve Command homepage, militarypress.com, defenselink.com, and many other web and print media outlets. Lastly, Sergeant Bergman played a vital role in the documentation of internationally renowned coalition exercises such as Exercise Combined Endeavour, Germany, and Exercise Talisman Saber, Australia. The distinctive accomplishments of Sergeant Bergman reflect credit upon herself, the 4th Combat Camera Squadron, and the United States Air Force.

Technical Sergeant Christopher A. Deal distinguished himself by meritorious service while serving as Combat Photographer, 4th Combat Camera Squadron, 452nd Air Mobility Wing, March Air Reserve Base, California. During this period, Sergeant Deal deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) where he completed over 30 combat and humanitarian missions, obtained over 1500 images, and transmitted them to over 300 DoD media outlets. Through his mission focus, Sergeant Deal captured vital combat imagery that was used to improve EOD Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP) and Force Protection and highlight kinetic and non-kinetic and Counter-Insurgency (COIN) operations conducted by coalition forces. In addition, his leadership and devotion to duty were instrumental factors in the documentation of an Afghan government-led initiative to provide security and governance for the Afghan people. This initiative, known as HAMKARI, was of significant importance to the Department of Defense and Regional Command-South Afghanistan. Selflessly working long hours, he contributed greatly to the mission and seamlessly integrated Combat Camera operations into the International Security Assistance Forces. The distinctive accomplishments of Sergeant Deal reflect credit upon himself, the 4th Combat Camera Squadron and the United States Air Force.