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Marauders win MAJCOM awards

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Burke Baker
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Three members of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing were recently honored with awards from their respective major commands, validating a year's worth of hard work and dedication.

Lt. Col. James Stryd, 386th Expeditionary Medical Group; Maj. Sean Martin, also 386th EMDG; and Tech Sgt. Maritza Mueller, 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, were notified of their awards while deployed here.

"I'm humbled to receive it," said Stryd.

Stryd, currently serving as the 386th Medical Operations Flight commander and 386th EMDG deputy commander, was awarded the "Outstanding Excellence in Nursing Leadership" award by Air Force Mobility Command, recognizing his outstanding contributions to the nursing career field.

A native of Hanford, Calif., Stryd is deployed from the 92nd Medical Group, Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash.

"Even though my name is on the award, I certainly did not accomplish this alone," he said. "There are many officers and enlisted, active-duty, reservists, national guardsmen, civil service, contractors and non-military civilians that contributed to every success; to those folks, I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve with them," said Stryd.

Maj. Sean Martin, a 386th EMEDS staff physician, was honored with the Air Force Material Command's "Physician Educator of the Year" award. The award is given out annually to a physician who demonstrates a consistent commitment to education above and beyond the routine tasks required of their primary duties.

Martin, who grew up in Port Orange. Fla., is deployed to the 386th EMDG from the 96th Medical Group at Eglin AFB.

One of the AFMC's jewels is its catalogue of high quality educational programs," said Martin. "I am on faculty at one such program, the Eglin AFB Family Medicine Residency, which has a time-honored tradition of producing top notch Family Medicine physicians. At Eglin, I am in the company of a number of impressive, and in many cases legendary, educators. To be recognized in the capacity of an educator amongst these peers is a huge honor and is humbling."

Tech Sgt. Maritza Mueller, 386th AEW Equal Opportunity Regional Director, won Air Force Global Strike Command's Solomon Starks Jr. E.O. Director of the Year award. The award recognizes Equal Opportunity Directors at the installation or center levels who have demonstrated outstanding leadership skills in the areas of military equal opportunity and civilian equal employment opportunity.

Mueller, a Leomister, Mass. native, is deployed from the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB where she is the Equal Opportunity Director.

"I feel incredibly honored. The Barksdale E.O. office works very hard to provide the best possible support to those looking for guidance as well providing the training to assist in eliminating those barriers that can create conflict and misunderstandings."

Each of the three Airmen will now compete against other MAJCOM winners in their respective category for the Air Force level award.