Estimated reading time 8 minutes, 56 seconds.
Consider it the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) / United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) equivalent of the Oscars. Canadians swept four of the seven award categories for NORAD personnel, established to recognize Canadian and American personnel for outstanding achievement in service to the bi-national organization.
Three of the winners are members of the Royal Canadian Air Force and one is a civilian employee of Canadian NORAD Region Headquarters in Winnipeg, Man.
The deputy commander of USNORTHCOM and vice commander of the U.S. element of NORAD, Lieutenant-General Michael Dubie, of the United States Air Force, highlighted the seven NORAD winners as well as seven USNORTHCOM winners as the “best of the best” for 2013.
The competition is a test of brilliance, skill, and control under pressure. The complex reality of rapid, real-time operations at NORAD / USNORTHCOM requires its personnel – whether Canadian or American – to exercise split-second outstanding control and sound judgement in the course of their daily duties.
From the abundance of brave and talented men and women, a few are selected by their supervisors at NORAD’s three regions in Alaska, Canada, and Continental United States, and are flown to Colorado Springs to compete for the honours.
After three days of interviews on duty know-how, and quizzes on random subjects comparable to the mind-bending television quiz show, Jeopardy!, judges collated their assessments of the candidates. The results were then revealed at the awards ceremony on April 30, 2014, at the Peterson Air Force Base Club in Colorado Springs, Colo.
“It wasn’t until I was seated in the room with the 10-board members that I realized how far a military member had to travel in order to get into the chair I found myself in,” said Corporal Melissa Horner, one of the award winners.
“There were so many talented and accomplished people waiting behind me for their turn with the board and in realizing this, I understood the level of achievement required to get where we were. After the experience that was the board, winning the award felt like a bonus on top of an amazing few months that included awards at both the sector and region level.”
The NORAD Junior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year Award went to Corporal Melissa Horner of 22 Wing North Bay, Ont. Corporal Horner is an aerospace control operator at the Canadian Air Defence Sector Command in North Bay. She was recognized by her chain of command as a consummate champion of her occupation who frequently volunteers to help outside of her duty requirements. Her positive workplace attitude has had a “charger” effect on the collective morale of her peers. Corporal Horner, who is close to obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Military Arts from the Royal Military College, is a member of the 22 Wing Honour Guard.
The NORAD Senior Non-Commissioned Member of the Year Award went to Master Warrant Officer Jeffrey Reid, who is the current operations superintendent of the Canadian contingent at NORAD/USNORTHCOM headquarters, leading a 45-member team. He performed 56 hours of NORAD-NORTHCOM command center pro-shifts and led an air defence execution of eight unknown aircraft within the United States national capital region. He was also recognized for having performed 56 hours of NORAD / NORTHCOM Command Centre pro-shifts; and has earned the Headquarters NORAD Senior Non-commissioned Officer award as well as the NORAD J3 Senior Non-Commissioned Officer award for 2013. He is also a member of the Canadian Headquarters Unit Personnel Evaluation Report board.
“It was a great honour to be recognized,” he said.
The NORAD Civilian Category-I Member of the Year Award went to Andreas Christodoulides of 1 Canadian NORAD Region Headquarters, Winnipeg, Man. He gathers, evaluates, and organizes raw and processed data on specified nations, groups and their relative weaponry. Christodoulides generates world-class comprehensive and predictive intelligence assessments and developed a new air threat paradigm, which significantly changed NORAD planning. His recent findings on threats to NORAD were presented at the Permanent Joint Board on Defence and resulted in the NORAD-NORTHCOM commander advocating for more resource based on those assessments.
“I was pleasantly surprised and a little embarrassed being singled out for doing my job,” said Christodoulides. “Then I remembered my father, who taught me history and politics; how he would have felt. It was an emotional moment.
“The award really belongs to the intelligence, surveillance reconnaissance division as a whole.”
The NORAD Company Grade Officer of the Year went to Captain Angela Hudson who serves in Rome, New York, at the NORAD / USNORTHCOM Eastern Air Defense sector, which is one of the two sectors responsible to NORAD for air sovereignty and strategic air defence of North America.
Captain Hudson is a flight training officer and the primary senior director instructor on the flight. She supervised 12 instructors and oversaw the instruction of about 30 students in 10 areas of flight qualifications over a span of 16 months. She took the lead as senior director for at least 25 national capital region scrambles, helping to protect the President of the United States and other critical assets. Her intense developmental drive and focus saw her as a national finalist for the prestigious Royal Canadian Air Force International Space Studies Program.
“I was very excited and surprised to have won the award,” she said. “It would never have happened but for the superior mentoring and leadership that my superiors foster at the Eastern Air Defense Sector, both on the Canadian and American side.”
Captain Hudson also volunteers for the Court Appointed Special Advocates program, representing children in court during difficult family proceedings. This summer she will return Canada to take up a posting at the Canadian Forces School of Aerospace Control Operations in Cornwall, Ont., where she will instruct future air weapons controllers.
The winners each received an engraved trophy and medallion. Military winners received the joint service commendation medal, and the civilian winners received the joint civilian service commendation award. Other awards included a certificate of appreciation and gifts from sponsors.
“To be nominated by the NORAD leadership, particularly my [senior enlisted leader] Chief Master Sergeant Young, is humbling,” said Master Warrant Officer Reid. “This is a team award, however; I may be the captain of the team, but my appreciation goes out to my coworkers and, of course, my family.”
American NORAD winners
- NORAD Field Grade Officer of the Year: Lieutenant-Colonel Robert S. Neiper, Alaska NORAD Region
- NORAD Civilian Category II Member of the Year: Stacey L. Wilken, Alaska NORAD Region
- NORAD Civilian Category III Member of the Year: Christopher R. Edling, Headquarters NORAD-USNORTHCOM
USNORTHCOM winners
- USNORTHCOM Junior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year: Sergeant Tonga Tukumoeatu, Army North
- USNORTHCOM Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year: Senior Master Sergeant Tracie Duvall, Joint Task Force-Alaska
- USNORTHCOM Company Grade Officer of the Year: Captain Michael C. Dunn, Headquarters NORAD / USNORTHCOM
- USNORTHCOM Field Grade Officer of the Year: Commander Christopher D. Carter, Headquarters NORAD-USNORTHCOM
- USNORTHCOM Civilian Category I Member of the Year: Judy G. Granczewski, Headquarters NORAD / USNORTHCOM
- USNORTHCOM Civilian Category II Member of the Year: Megan L. Gray, Headquarters NORAD / USNORTHCOM
- USNORTHCOM Civilian Category III Member of the Year: John S. Bender, Allied Forces North Europe
