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Cannon recognizes future Air Force enlisted leaders

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Shelby Kay-Fantozzi
  • 27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  A combination of twenty senior airmen and staff sergeant-selects moved one step closer to becoming tomorrow’s supervisors as they graduated from Airman Leadership School Thursday.

The graduates celebrated the completion of classes in communication skills, supervisory skills and professionalism over a five-week term at the school, where they gained the knowledge necessary to lead, mentor and evaluate future troops.

High honors were awarded to three students who excelled academically, displayed strength in character and exhibited strong leadership: Senior Airman Garrett Myler, 43rd Intelligence Squadron direct support operator, won the academic achievement and distinguished graduate awards; Senior Airman Christian Montero, 27th Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron flight control journeyman, won the Commandant’s Award; and Senior Airman Michael Wallar, 43rd IS direct support operator, won the John C. Levitow Award.

The event also included a speech by retired Chief Master Sgt. Joseph Newhart, who stressed the importance of helping airmen grow by providing honest and fair feedback throughout their careers.

Newhart continued his speech by sharing some of his favorite sayings with the crowd, recalling what it meant to tell an Airman “just stop,” asking whether a troop was “tracking,” and sharing what they needed to know “before you touch the doorknob.”

After personally congratulating each student as they received certificates of completion, Col. Heather Buono, 27th Special Operations Mission Support Group commander, charged the graduates to keep pushing themselves and others in order to be the best supervisors they can be.

“To our ALS graduates, remember to be leaders and independent thinkers,” Buono said. “To the supervisors of our graduates, take these Airmen back into the fold in your respective shops and keep challenging them.”

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