Base volunteers honored at recognition ceremony

Published May 25, 2007
By Linda Barentine
61st Mission Support Squadron, Airman & Family Readiness Center

LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE -- Los Angeles Air Force Base celebrated the work of more than 290 volunteers at the annual Volunteer Recognition Ceremony at the Schriever Space Complex, May 23. Approximately 125 volunteers and their supervisors attended the event.

Base volunteers worked 57,925 hours from April 1, 2006 through March 31 2007, saving the base $1,045,622.96. The volunteers include military and civilian personnel, federal retirees and their families.

Brig. Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski, MILSATCOM Systems Wing commander, and Mrs. Linda Hamel, wife of Lt. Gen. Michael Hamel, Space and Missile Systems Center commander, presented the Volunteer Excellence Awards to Mrs. Shirley Krumpe, Los Angeles AFB Spouse Club Thrift Shop, and Mr. William Dozier, 61st Air Base Group Chapel. The VEA recognizes exceptional, direct community support given on a long-term basis.

Four Angel Awards were presented. The recipients were Lt. Col. Victor Floyd, Space Superiority Systems Wing, for his volunteer work with the Boy Scouts; 1st Lt. Zachary Lehmann, Developmental Plans, for his volunteer work as coach with the Manhattan Beach School District; MSgt Troy Scruggs, 61st Security Forces Squadron, for his volunteer work with the Catholic Chapel; and Ms. Kelly Britton, Space Radar, for her volunteer work as Team Captain during the Revlon Run/Walk for Women. The Angel Award is an Air Force award and recognizes the commitment to volunteering which says, "We take care of our own." It can be awarded to an individual or to a group.

The Retiree Volunteer of the Year award was given to retired Air Force Colonel, David McClelon.

"As I stand here listening to the accomplishment of our volunteers and some of the things they did, my thought was that we realty can't assign a dollar amount to what our volunteers do for us," said General Pawlikowski. "It just doesn't even come close to the values of our volunteers. How many lives have you changed?"

A barbecue lunch followed the ceremony at the complex.

To find out more about volunteering, call the Airman & Family Readiness Flight at 310-653-5428.

(Additional information provided P. A. Tezuka, SMC Public Affairs.)