Outstanding achievers recognized at 911th AW Annual Awards Banquet

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Marjorie A. Bowlden
  • 911th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

Members of the 911th Airlift Wing gathered for a night of celebration and fun at the 911th AW Annual Awards Banquet, May 5, 2018.

 

This yearly event is designed to highlight outstanding achievers throughout the wing. Airmen attended to support and recognize their wingmen as squadron, group, and wing-level awards were presented throughout the night.

 

The schedule of events for the banquet normally included a guest speaker as well as the presentation of awards. This year’s event, however, was a bit different; there was no guest speaker, and a professional DJ was included in the festivities.

 

“The feedback we heard from people most often was that [the banquet] went on too long,” said Tech. Sgt. Allen Bilbie, squadron medical element with the 758th Airlift Squadron and co-chair of the banquet planning committee. “Our goal in removing the guest speaker was to make sure that the evening was focused more about our people and their achievements than anything else.”

 

Bilbie organized the event alongside Tech. Sgt. Kenneth Marsilio, NCO in charge of the knowledge management center with the 911th Communications Squadron. The 911th AW First Sergeant’s Council was also heavily involved in the planning process, providing support to Bilbie and Marsilio’s efforts as needed.

 

Despite some hiccups in scheduling and organization, the event went smoothly and was well-received by attendees, said Marsilio. Banquet tickets were sold out for the first time in several years.

 

“We’ve gotten a lot of good feedback on everything,” said Marsilio.

 

Even with the newest success, Bilbie hopes that by establishing continuity between planning committees, the banquet can be continually improved to meet the needs of Airmen.

 

“We just did whatever we could to make sure it didn’t fail,” said Bilbie. “We did our best to come up with thoughts and plans for future events, to make them better already. The more we can increase showing to the banquet, the better.”