PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – The North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command recognized their top performers for October-December 2005 during a quarterly awards ceremony Feb. 10.
Maj. Gen. Paul J. Sullivan, NORAD and USNORTHCOM chief of staff, and Maj.-Gen. Brett D. Cairns, director of NORAD operations, presented the awards.
"These are folks that go well beyond just being outstanding here at NORAD and U.S. Northern Command," Sullivan said. "They are real representatives for all of us in that they take great pride in the community we live in."
The NORAD winners are:
• Air Force Capt. Janelle A. Anderson, Logistics Directorate, company grade officer;
• Air Force Master Sgt. Charles E. Hill Jr., Operations Directorate, senior noncommissioned officer;
• Tech. Sgt. Katherine Mendez, Operations Directorate, noncommissioned officer;
• Canadian Forces Cpl. Dwight J. Sine, Canadian Forces Support Unit, junior enlisted.
The USNORTHCOM winners are:
• Navy Lt. Jason S. Grimmett, Operations Directorate, company grade officer;
• Gunnery Sgt. Brian D. Coons, Architectures and Integration Directorate, senior noncommissioned officer;
• Air Force Staff Sgt. Carolyn A. Space, Intelligence Directorate, noncommissioned officer.
• Senior Airman Arenda N. Prisby, Intelligence Directorate, junior enlisted.
The NORAD-USNORTHCOM civilians of the quarters are:
• Donna A. Crump, Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center Chief of Staff Administration, Category I; and
• Laura Yates, Operations Directorate, Category II.
Anderson, a transportation plans and policy officer, served as a key member of the NORAD Battle Management Center during Vigilant Shield '06 and provided in-depth, critical logistics input which directly impacted NORAD crisis action planning efforts. As a command validator for the Operational Support Airlift Program, she secured airlift for senior leaders, resulting in quarterly savings of more than $125,000. She also volunteered to help feed needy members of the community in the Thanksgiving "Harvest of Love" program.
Hill, the noncommissioned officer in charge of information management and personnel, provided outstanding leadership to the directorate by keeping virtually every project on schedule. He performed his duties, from training management and budget control to manpower oversight and personnel requisitions, with precision. As noncommissioned officer in charge of the Vigilant Shield '06 information management cell, he expertly trained new staff personnel, managed the posting of more than 300 messages and ensured the integrity of systems essential to Canadian-American communications. He is a key member of the NORAD intramural basketball team and supports his church team, local high school team and the youth bowling league.
Mendez, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the NORAD Airspace Management Branch, instituted nine real-time critical data slides in support of Hurricane Katrina relief which were briefed to President Bush during his on-site visit. Her revisions to 42 Air Warning Center checklists improved response time by 10 percent. She provided and managed more than 250 aeronautical charts in direct support of air defense planners. During Vigilant Shield '06, she co-developed emergency security control of air traffic messages used to provide the NORAD commander with flexible control measure options. She completed the CMOC operations training course 30 days ahead of schedule with 90 percent overall test scores and enrolled in three college courses.
Sine, a cell leader in the personnel support services section of the Canadian Forces Support Unit, guided and supervised other clerks in administering complex foreign service entitlements for more than 300 Canadian Forces servicemembers and their dependents assigned throughout North America. He organized a Canadian morale trip to a local hockey game and volunteered his time to the local Canadian Forces mess as the deputy sports officer. He is also pursuing a university degree.
Grimmett is the first company grade officer at USNORTHCOM to be selected for qualification as strike advisor, a position responsible for providing advice and assistance to the president, secretary of defense and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. A consistent top performer, he was selected to be the emergency action coordinator for the annual joint staff inspection. His outstanding knowledge of all critical communications systems and crucial chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff emergency action messages ensured uninterrupted connectivity between USNORTHCOM and national leadership. He donated time and funds to "Citizens for Responsible Growth," a community group examining urban sprawl problems in Woodland Park. He also volunteered with "Four Paws Rescue," a local animal shelter program, working at adoption fairs and fostering abandoned dogs until they were adopted.
Coons, a training and exercise coordinator, analyzed and recognized shortfalls in the qualification process for Theater Network Operations Control Center Joint Operations Center Information Domain Officer, developing and implementing a comprehensive program to certify and qualify the position. The program included input from other directorates and detailed specific actions to build and provide situational awareness to the commander.
Space, a ballistic missile threat analyst in the Combined Intelligence and Fusion Center, monitored and analyzed intelligence and reports on U.S. Central Command, U.S. European Command and U.S. Pacific Command ballistic missile and weapons of mass destruction developments affecting the NORAD-USNORTHCOM mission areas. She expertly maintained the directorate's worldwide ballistic missile order of battle database, coordinated intelligence collection and analysis with other defense and national intelligence agencies, researched hundreds of intelligence reports and wrote several assessments for daily intelligence summary and special reports. She produced more than 15 intelligence summaries and briefings to support the commands' senior leadership, components and the intelligence community. She was the event coordinator and instructor for audiovisual support during the 19th Annual Strategic Nuclear Forces Conference and was selected to be noncommissioned officer in charge and strategic analyst on the Mobile Consolidated Command Center team. She is enrolled in two master's degree programs and has a 4.0 grade point average in both.
Prisby, an administrative specialist for the NORAD-USNORTHCOM Counterintelligence Staff Office, implemented better staffing processes that enabled more rapid processing of counterintelligence information. She ensured CISO had appropriate venues to conduct weekly counterintelligence synchronization briefings. As the point of contact for foreign travel briefings, she briefed dozens of personnel, helping them to recognize and counter possible threats while traveling overseas. She was also the directorate's primary volunteer for the Combined Federal Campaign.
Crump, the administrative assistant to the CMOC chief of staff, managed a myriad of duties for two CMOC directorates every day. She controlled travel budgets for three commands and three fund cites, resulting in 100 percent accountability of unit funds. She implemented the Defense Travel System for CMOC and provided training for users, with no travel delays. She is pursuing a master's degree and is treasurer of a local Boy Scout troop.
Yates, a security officer, updated policy letters, built new continuity books, reorganized administrative areas and rewrote organizational security operating instructions. She developed a training program for unit Single Integrated Operating Plan monitors. She is active in Trust, Education, Safety, Support and Action, a local domestic violence and sexual assault prevention program. She has also opened her home to battered and abused children, providing safe haven until permanent accommodations and foster care could be arranged.