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Training Awards
Training Manager
Technical Sergeant Cody Tippit distinguished himself by meritorious service while assigned to 381st Training Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, from 5 January 2026 to 24 April 2026. During this period, his outstanding leadership as the Interservice Physician Assistant Student Society president was instrumental in supporting the professional development and morale of 260 students. Sergeant Tippit expertly coordinated and led 12 monthly organizational functions across four cohorts and procured volunteer opportunities culminating in 88.5 hours of community service. Additionally, he was pivotal in the execution of the annual Physician Assistant Celebration Day, dedicating two months to planning and coordinating volunteers to provide meals for 240 students and faculty. Demonstrating keen logistical acumen, Sergeant Tippit expertly managed a tight five thousand dollar budget and flawlessly coordinated with two vendors to prepare 67 lab coats for graduating seniors, resulting in zero errors and completion under budget. Furthermore, he was essential to student development, conducting 22 professional sessions and dedicating over 30 hours to coordinating with internal staff and external service leads. His efforts extended to enhancing student resilience by briefing 120 students during orientation, participating in senior student panels, and organizing two military spouse panels for incoming students and their families. The distinctive accomplishments of Sergeant Tippit reflect credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
Armament Systems Instructor
Staff Sergeant Seth A. Blackwood distinguished himself by meritorious service as an Armament Systems Instructor, 363d Training Squadron, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, from [DATE] to [DATE]. During this period, Sergeant Blackwood's professional skill, leadership, and dedication significantly enhanced training operations and mission readiness. He coordinated with curriculum stakeholders to elevate faculty capabilities, implementing a sixth-generation learning environment that increased classroom efficiency by 15%. Leading an instructor team, he safeguarded $342 million in training aircraft, improved educational impact, and strengthened operational readiness. Sergeant Blackwood streamlined operations by guiding the relocation of three trainers, reducing facility occupancy by 33%, centralizing flight oversight, and eliminating $23 million in facility sustainment costs. Additionally, he played a vital role in the first Combat Capability Demonstration, showcasing the B-52 nuclear mission generation to 500 Airmen, an event recognized by General Dietrich. His proactive problem solving resolved Barksdale Air Force Base's nuclear equipment deficit by reallocating excess assets and liaising with Global Strike A4 and FSS, saving the Air Force $10,000. Furthermore, Sergeant Blackwood managed the flight's Petroleum Contaminated Waste program, correcting 17 discrepancies, preventing $25,000 in violation fines, and contributing to the Wing's "Highly Effective" Unit Effectiveness Inspection rating in Mission Execution. The distinctive accomplishments of Sergeant Blackwood reflect credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
OIC, Special Warfare Human Performance Squadron
Major Susan B Greene distinguished herself in the performance of outstanding service to the United States while assigned to Special Warfare Human Performance Squadron, Special Warfare Human Performance Support Group, Special Warfare Training Wing, Pope Army Air Field, North Carolina. During this period Major Greene lead an 8-member team, across five Air Force Specialty Codes (AFSCs) overseeing 860 combat training sessions for three Special Warfare training pipelines. Additionally, Major Greene managed a one point five million dollar renovation budget, orchestrating requirements that doubled the facility's training capacity, increased trainee throughput by 46 percent, and saved 300 instructor hours for three pipelines. Additionally, as a committee lead for Women in Service Review, Major Greene implemented gender integration policies which paved the way for the first two female Special Tactics operators. Finally, she led three AFSCs in curriculum development, standardizing Human Performance best-practices across the Wing for one point two thousand trainees annually. The distinctive accomplishments of Major Greene reflect credit upon herself and the United States Air Force.
Lead Trainer, Predator Ground Control Station
During this period, the outstanding professional skill, leadership, and ceaseless efforts of Sergeant Holman resulted in major contributions to the effectiveness and success of Air Force Predator Remote Split Operations sortie generation. Sergeant Holman's timely execution of over 2400 Ground Control Station maintenance actions contributed to 714 successful Predator contingency sorties, 13,000 flying hours, 17 Hellfire missile strikes, and multiple Al-Qaeda and Taliban high level targets eliminated. During an in-flight Formal Training Unit operation, Sergeant Holman identified and corrected an aircraft data-link fault avoiding a catastrophic loss of a 4.2 million dollar war-fighting asset. As a lead trainer, Sergeant Holman demonstrated outstanding professional skill and technical training abilities while instructing a 16 member team on complex communication systems leading to an astounding one percent aircraft downtime due to maintenance discrepancies. Sergeant Holman's eye for innovation also led to the development of the first Ground Control Station volume control system vastly improving Predator ground communication transmissions. During a base-wide fiber optic installation project, his leadership and technical assistance were instrumental in enhancing Predator file transfer reliability rates improving overall Formal Training Unit mission capabilities. In addition, Sergeant Holman's research and repair of a major ARC-210 radio configuration deficiency facilitated the on-time graduation of 189 combat ready Predator flight crews. The distinctive accomplishments of Sergeant Holman reflect credit upon himself, the Air National Guard, and the United States Air Force.
Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge, Training
Technical Sergeant James M. Doan distinguished himself in the performance of outstanding achievement as Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge, Training while assigned to the 378th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron, 378th Air Expeditionary Wing, Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. During this period, Sergeant Doan orchestrated the implementation of a critical deployed operations training plan by coordinating with three external agencies and executing 18 scenario-based applications. His efforts led to the certification of 75 defenders on essential tasks, which directly sustained the continuity of the unit's mission. Furthermore, Sergeant Doan optimized quick reaction force procedures by instituting cross-agency integration with United States Army Security Forces personnel. This initiative shortened arming cycles by 57 percent and standardized posting for 180 defenders, significantly improving overall base survivability. Finally, while forward deployed with a 10-member Fly-Away Security team, he served as the team lead for 25 joint personnel to secure airlift for the United States Central Command Commander's highest priority tasking. During this deployment, he expertly managed the transportation of 3500 detainees during seven combat sorties, preserving 2.1 billion dollars in Air Mobility Command assets. The distinctive accomplishments of Sergeant Doan reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.