Two Public Affairs Airmen receive Air Force-level awards

  • Published
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  Two 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs Airmen recently received 2009 Air Force Public Affairs Awards for Communication Excellence honors.

Staff Sgt. Justin Weaver, 31st FW Public Affairs journeyman, received the 2009 Airman 1st Class Darryl Winters Award, while Staff Sgt. Nadine Barclay, 31st FW Public Affairs photographer, received the Outstanding Communication Airman Award.

"Both noncommissioned officers have done amazing work," said 2nd Lt. Brian Wagner, 31st FW PA deputy chief. "It's a rare occurrence to have a base-level public affairs office win two categories in the Communications Excellence Awards."

These awards recognize Public Affair's mission impact and encourage the benchmarking of the most effective and innovative communication practices.

In 2009, Sergeant Barclay demonstrated outstanding ability to assist in planning and executing communication activities and created products that achieve desired communication effects. She was selected as the lead photographer during a visit by the President of the United States. She performs functions as a photographer, a journalist and a leader.

"Sergeant Barclay did outstanding work at Nellis (AFB, Nev.,) and continues to perform well at Aviano," Lieutenant Wagner said. "Her top-notch coverage of high visibility visits and missions, and her involvement in the community is a great example to fellow photographers."

In addition, Sergeant Barclay provided visual support of military and civilian cooperation in northern California and Nevada during a rescue mission, and ensured 10 Airmen were 100-percent ready for wartime and contingency operations. She increased visual information productivity by 90 percent when she simplified the electronic program for tracking VI work orders.

"I am very humbled to have won this award," Sergeant Barclay said. "I know that I would have never been to this point in my career without the positive encouragement and guidance that I've received from my leadership and NCOs assigned above me. I learned very early on that you should always do your best no matter how insignificant a task might seem; you never know where it might take you."

Meanwhile, Sergeant Weaver demonstrated courage in the face of imminent danger while providing outstanding communication support of contingencies. He was the sole public affairs specialist for two southern Afghanistan forward operating bases.

"Sergeant Weaver's work was vital to documenting combat operations, and to be recognized at the Air Force level was a testament to his skills," Lieutenant Wagner said.

He conducted 46 outside-the-wire missions and was involved in nine troops-in-contact situations, 12 improvised explosive ordnance strikes and seven air assaults. He produced 26 articles and 5,400 photos. He prepared battalion commanders and troops for 11 outside-the-wire media embeds. His visual support of an IED factory led to its destruction and eliminated a threat to 25 Soldiers living in the area.

"Winning this award was bittersweet for me," Sergeant Weaver said. "Working with an infantry unit on the front lines of the war in Afghanistan left me with memories I will never forget -- some good, some bad. My goal was to highlight and capture what these Soldiers saw and dealt with on a daily basis."

During Sergeant Weaver's deployment, one of the hardest moments for him was when they were on a four-day mission, clearing villages of insurgents and IEDs.

"We had been up for more than 30 hours and most of the Soldiers were catching a few minutes of sleep before we were to head out again," Sergeant Weaver said. "Of the photos I began taking, one was of three mud-covered Soldiers asleep on a wall. Not two hours later, one of the Soldiers in that photo stepped on an IED. Knowing I captured the last photo of that Soldier alive was difficult for me to deal with. Being able to send that photo home to his family is what made my job worthwhile."

Sergeants Barclay and Weaver are eligible for the military Air Force Recognition ribbon.