CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Since its creation, the U.S. military has been recognizing its members who stand above the rest by holding award ceremonies for their accomplishments. That rich heritage for celebrating excellence continues today with numerous programs in the Armed Forces aimed to highlight our most pristine members.
Here at Cannon, the Diamond Sharp Award Program recognizes younger, upcoming Airmen who have separated themselves from their peers. This base-wide, monthly-award program selects one Airman from the grades of E-1 to E-4.
“It’s a very competitive award ran solely by the First Sergeants,” said Master Sgt. David Kuzmicki, 27th Special Operations Maintenance Group maintenance operations first sergeant, “The First Sergeants will go out to their respective units and look for that Airman who is crushing it in every way.”
Kuzmicki explains the usual criteria for nominations include Airmen who embody the ‘Whole Airman’ concept by excelling in their job requirements, actively seeking volunteer work and engaging in furthering their education. Also, any first sergeant can nominate an Airman for the Diamond Sharp Award, including acting or additional duty First Sergeants, not just ones wearing the diamond.
“Packages speak for themselves on what that Airman did to stand out in that month and what makes them a sharp Airman,” Kuzmicki said. “Each package will be read aloud and then the First Sergeants will take a vote to pick the winner.”
Once a winner is chosen, the award ceremony takes place at the winning Airman’s unit so that they can be recognized in front of their peers and command leadership. Wing leadership is also involved by attending the ceremonies.
“What these young Airmen are doing here at Cannon is amazing,” Kuzmicki said. “Based off the mission here, we’ll go through an Airman’s monthly package and it sounds like it could be an enlisted performance report for the entire year at another base. It’s insane how much they accomplish and I’m happy we have this program because they deserve to be recognized.”