Current and former members of the U.S. Air Force and 186th Wing of the Mississippi Air National Guard at Key Field gathered on Thursday to recognize airmen who have displayed exemplary service over the past 12 months.

The annual meeting of the G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Chapter 376 of the Air & Space Force Association is a time for retired service members, community leaders and families to show their support for members of the 186th and all branches of the armed services.

AFA Chapter 376 President Langford Knight said the organization’s mission is to support the air and space forces and promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education to ensure future generations of Americans have the technical skills and scientific knowhow to maintain the country’s air superiority.

“The mission of the Air Force Association is to promote a dominant U.S. Air and Space Force as the foundation of a strong national defense,” he said.

As part of its mission, Knight said, the association recognizes four outstanding service members from the different units of the 186th Wing at Key Field. The airmen are nominated by their unit’s leadership and move through a selection process where their accomplishments are scrutinized, he said.

“We recognize every year, the outstanding airmen of the year from the units out there,” he said. “There are several units associated with the 186th Wing.”

Major James Bunyard, who presented the Outstanding Airman of the Year award to Airman First Class Mark Gutierrez, said Gutierrez is one of a handful of service members in the base security forces who are bilingual. In a particular incident, he said Gutierrez was able to use his knowledge of official Mexican documentation to spot several contractors coming onto base using forged identifications.

“When he picked those up, he brought it to the attention of leadership,” Bunyard said. “We actually found out that they were using fake names, and they were doing things not above board like they should.”

Base security forces are similar to police officers in that it is their job to make sure everyone on the base stays safe. While catching the forgeries was one particular instance, Bunyard said, Gutierrez helps keep the men and women of the 186th safe and on mission every day.

“He’s a solid troop all the way across,” he said.

Major Jonathan Skinner of the 186th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, who presented the Outstanding Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year award to Technical Sgt. Will Smith, said Smith came to the 186th after more than eight years of active duty service. The skill and knowledge Smith brought with him to Key Field has been a huge asset to the 186th, Skinner said, as has his willingness to serve and lead when necessary.

“Tech Sgt. Will Smith is an exceptional NCO,” Skinner said. “He embodies the Air Force core values of integrity, service before self and excellence in all that we do.”

The 186th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron is responsible for taking care of the aircraft it is assigned, making sure they are in proper condition and are safe to fly. It is a critical element of what the 186th Wing does, Skinner said, and people like Smith are crucial to bringing airmen home safely.

Lt. Col Kevin Ryals of the 186th Logistics Readiness Squadron said this year’s Outstanding Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Master Sgt. Hank Fairchild is one of those individuals able to take on big projects and execute flawlessly.

Fairchild is in logistics plans, Ryals said, which involves making plans of action become reality by coordinating deployments, exercises, training scenarios and more. Many of the training exercises, such the recent Southern Strike exercises in Gulfport, are coordinated by logistics personnel.

“The job that he does in that office is something that we need, and we have to have somebody of his high skill to be able to perform it,” he said.

Finally, Ryals presented Staff Sgt. Jacob Gunn with the Chief Master Sergeant Wayne Benthall Leadership Award. Gunn, who serves as an equipment manager, is responsible for more than $720 million in supplies and equipment.

Gunn’s job includes keeping inventory, tracking equipment, making sure people meet the requirements to requisition supplies and equipment. With hundreds of millions in supplies and equipment, Ryals said it takes a dedicated person to make sure every piece is accounted for, but Gunn finds a way to get it done.

“Sgt. Gunn has been an outstanding troop,” Ryals said. “He’s an up and comer that’s going to be an outstanding leader for a longtime.”

In addition to airmen at the 186th, Knight said the AFA also recognizes a teacher each year from the STEM fields. This year’s Teacher of the Year is Dunnam Shirley, who teaches eighth grade science at Southeast Lauderdale Middle School.

“In his first year of teaching there, he was voted Teacher of the Year by his peers,” he said.

Shirley is highly motivated, Knight said, and has already lobbied the school administration for a new STEM lab, spoken to incoming college freshmen at Mississippi State University about connecting with students and seen a significant bump in science testing scores among Southeast Lauderdale’s eighth grade students.

The AFA also sponsors a scholarship for a student interested in STEM to attend Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, over the summer, Knight said. Interested students are asked to write an essay, and the winner is chosen from the submissions.

This year’s student, Cody Stebbins, is a native of Gulf Breeze, Florida. His mother is a First Sergeant in the air traffic control squadron stationed at Key Field.

Stebbins joined the Civil Air Patrol at the age of 12 and is now a member of the Junior ROTC at his school in Gulf Breeze, Knight said. While he was unable to receive the award in person, Stebbins shares the AFA’s passion for flying and support of the air and space forces.

“I’m real proud of this young man,” Knight said. “He’ll be a good representative.”

In addition to the awards, the annual AFA meeting was an opportunity to hear updates on the goings on Key Field and in military news throughout Mississippi.

Col. Joseph Reid updated association members on the guard’s efforts to prepare for future conflicts, whenever and wherever those may be, as well as natural disasters and support of active duty missions.

From the civilian side of Mississippi’s military world, Meridian Airport Authority’s Tom Williams, who was appointed by Gov. Tate Reeves to serve on the newly created Defense Communities Development Council, shared the state’s new direction in military involvement with the creation of the Governor’s Office of Military Affairs, the civilian DCDC and the Installation Commanders Council, which is made up of commanders from each of the state’s 11 military installations.

These new boards and positions are opening up new channels of communication between Mississippi’s military installations, the surrounding communities and state leaders, Williams said, and creating new avenues for cooperation and coordinated growth.