Outstanding Airmen of the Year recognized during 167th Airlift Wing ceremony

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Emily Beightol-Deyerle
  • 167th Airlift Wing

The 167th Airlift Wing’s Outstanding Airmen of the Year were recognized during a ceremony in the wing’s dining facility, April 2.

Senior Airman Dallis Myers, 167th Medical Group, Staff Sgt. Jessie Trejo, 167th Security Forces Squadron, Chief Master Sgt. Jeffrey DeMille, 167th Operations Support Squadron, and Master Sgt. Ashleigh Palmer, 167th Maintenance Squadron, were honored as the top Airman, Non-commissioned Officer, Senior Non-commissioned Officer and First Sergeant, respectively.

The Outstanding Airman of the Year award program recognizes Airmen for their superior leadership, job performance, personal achievement and community involvement.

“There is a lot of energy that goes into selecting our Outstanding Airmen of the Year.  The process is continuous throughout the year and culminates in our final ceremony in early spring,” said 167th Airlift Wing Command Chief Master Sgt. Troy Brawner. “We celebrate these Airmen!  From our Group selectees to our final four, these Airmen represent our very best.  I am inspired by their accomplishments, tenacity, and how each of them continues to raise the bar for themselves.  I am proud of every one of them.”

Myers, 167th Medical Group medical materiel journeyman, deployed in support of Operations Allied Refuge and Allies Welcome where she established medical supply accountability and distribution while serving as the lead medical technician for more than 16,000 refugees. Myers also volunteered to support the West Virginia Department of Corrections Facilities aiding nightshift personnel by safeguarding entry points for inmates ensuring the safety of correctional officers.

Trejo, 167th Security Forces Squadron security forces flight chief, was appointed as the Phoenix Raven Program Manager for the 167th Security Forces Squadron. He served as a team lead on a co-located mission with U.S. Secret Service, providing twelve hours of continuous protection for the President of the United States and Speaker of the House during a bi-lateral meeting in Egypt. Trejo was also appointed as team lead while assigned to Al Udeid Air Base during the first military airlift in the Pakistan area of responsibility resulting in lifesaving aid, emergency shelter and famine relief to its citizens during a catastrophic flood. Trejo graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Homeland Security and has been accepted into the West Virginia University John Chambers College of Business and Economics.  

DeMille, 167th Operations Support Squadron intelligence senior enlisted leader, was activated multiple times to support the U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command Inspector General team which lead to six Unit Effectiveness Inspections and Readiness Exercises identifying and closing critical deficiencies. DeMille completed multiple self-development courses to include twenty-one semester hours with Salem International University in the Master’s in Business Administration program earning a 4.0 grade point average. He also completed numerous hours of civilian leadership training.

Palmer, 167th Maintenance Squadron first sergeant, guided multiple Airman through high-stress life events such as divorce, loss of family members and monetary strain. She provided numerous in-person welfare checks and provided immediate assistance to domestic crisis, ensuring Airmen received immediate support. 

Brig. Gen. David Cochran, West Virginia National Guard Assistant Adjutant General – Air, and West Virginia Air National Guard Command Chief, Chief Master Sgt. Brandon Ives, recognized Trejo, DeMille and Palmer as the Outstanding Airmen of the Year in their respective categories for the West Virginia Air National Guard.

“We expect everyone in here to be warriors and we have some outstanding representation of that in our outstanding Airmen here,” Cochran said. “But don’t rest on your laurels,” he said to the winners, “there’s nothing that says you can’t be here again next year.”