CPT Meriwether Lewis, CPT Meriwether Lewis, CPT Meriwether Lewis, CPT Meriwether Lewis ...

This title floods the news release announcing the 2013 AUSA Sixth Region Awards. Of the 35 awards giving recognition to chapters, units and individuals, 21 were associated with or nominated by CPT Meriwether Lewis, the Joint Base Lewis-McChord chapter of the Association of the United States Army.

Whoa.

The winners of the AUSA Captain Meriwether Lewis Chapter will join the few remaining winners at the Sixth Region Annual Awards Black Tie Banquet Saturday, April 12 in the Shilo Inn & Suites Hotel at the Portland Airport in Ore. The banquet is part of the 2014 Sixth Region Spring Meeting held at the Shilo Inn April 10-13.

AUSA is a private, nonprofit organization that works to advance the interests of the U.S. Army. In addition to being a lobbying organization, volunteers with local AUSA chapters support troops while deployed and at home. The Sixth Region includes Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Northern and Central California.

Makes the Captain Meriwether Lewis Chapter even more of a badass, huh?

Let's take a look at all the winners:

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What do you do when you meet a man with straight answers and a crooked nose?

You listen.  Carefully.

"Don't settle for someone else's expectations," Maj. Nate Conkey said as he rested between weight repetitions at the Wilson Sports & Fitness Center early yesterday morning.

"Through your efforts you learn what you can achieve.  Through a sense of urgency you can push yourself to be great."

Then he turned and began to do push-ups.

>>>  Maj. Nate Conkey, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, works out at the Wilson Fitness Center. AUSA recently named him the 2013 Army Male Athlete of the Year. Photo credit: J.M. Simpson

To that end, Conkey, who is assigned as the executive officer to 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, has worked hard to excel in rugby at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

In his sixth All-Army rugby team appearance in 2013, Conkey helped lead Army to a 19-14 victory over Air Force at the Armed Forces Rugby Sevens Championship.

The expectation and urgency to do well paid off.

Earlier this year, All-Army Sports named Conkey the 2013 Male Athlete of the Year at the Association of the United States Army Winter Symposium in Huntsville, Ala.

Conkey, who rowed on West Point's crew team, first played rugby while stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky. He immediately took to the sport.

"It was one of those things I was missing," Conkey said.

"You do PT every day, but there's that extra camaraderie and extra competition of sports; that's what I fell in love with," added the native of Virginia.

He works out five days a week for about 90 minutes. Workouts vary from sprints and anaerobic exercise to weight lifting. Conkey plans on playing in this year's Army Forces Rugby tournament in August.

Conkey is married to Maj. Kate Conkey, who is assigned to the 22nd Military Police Battalion. He added that he is committed to his unit and that he appreciates the All-Army program because it allows him to play a sport he loves.

"So why not be great? Why not pursue your dream now? Why not go to work on what you want right now?

These are good questions from one who gives - and lives - straight answers.

>>> Maj. Nate Conkey, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, makes notes of his workout. Photo credit: J.M. Simpson

Gen. Paul Selva, Air Mobility Command commander, announced the 2013 AMC Outstanding Airmen of the Year during a command-wide video teleconference at Scott Air Force Base today. Master Sgt. Marc R. Sellers, of the 62nd Maintenance Squadron at Joint Base Lewis McChord, was named Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year.

The 2013 AMC Outstanding Airmen of the Year are:

Junior Enlisted Airman of the Year:

Senior Airman Leanne M. Murray, 87th Air Base Wing, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.

Noncommissioned Officer of the Year:

Tech. Sgt. Toyre L. Hudson, 6th Medical Operations Squadron, MacDill AFB, Fla.

Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year:

Master Sgt. Marc R. Sellers, 62nd Maintenance Squadron, JB Lewis-McChord, Wash.

First Sergeant of the Year:

Master Sgt. Richard W. McCorkle, 319th Security Forces Squadron, Grand Forks, AFB, N.D.

Honor Guard Member of the Year:

Senior Airman Jacob Coburn, 89th Communications Squadron, JB Andrews, Md.

Honor Guard Program Manager of the Year:

Master Sgt. Gary Knight, 87th Force Support Squadron, JB MDL, N.J.

Honor Guard Team of the Year:

87th Air Base Wing, JB MDL, N.J.

First Sergeant Council of the Year:

87th Air Base Wing, JB MDL, N.J.

With the exception of Honor Guard Team and First Sergeant Council of the Year, all winners identified above will now compete for the Air Force 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year.

Medals of Honor have been in the news lately. Twenty-four soldiers who fought in World War II, Korea and Vietnam will receive the Medal of Honor March 18 at the White House, correcting oversights that prevented many of them from receiving the nation's highest award for valor because of their Hispanic, Jewish and African-American backgrounds. The awarding of 24 Medals of Honor - most of them posthumously - will be the largest number to be awarded at one time since World War II.

Tomorrow, our state Senate will adopt resolutions sponsored by Sen. Steve O'Ban, R-University Place, recognizing two of the three recent Medal of Honor recipients who reside in Washington. Staff Sgt. Ty Michael Carter will be honored with Senate Resolution 8713 for his heroic actions in the Kamdesh district of the Nuristan Province of Afghanistan, and Sgt. Leroy Arthur Petry will receive a similar honor with Senate Resolution 8714 for his sacrifice in Afghanistan's Paktia Province.

That's awesome.

For details and background on the presentation and herorics, read a news release out of the O'Ban camp below.

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Senior Airman Madelyn McCullough of the 446th Airlift Wing grabbed three awards in the 2013 Air Force Reserve Command Media Contest. The top entries were announced today by Lt. Gen. James F. Jackson, AFRC commander. The public affairs competition featured 317 Web, print, graphic, still photo and broadcasting entries from 30 organizations.

McCullough grabbed a first place award for Commentary, second place for Outstanding New Writer and third place for News Article.

McCullough's first place entitles her to advance to the Air Force Media Contest at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas.

To read a list of all the winners, click here.

See Also

When award winners write about award winners

This just in from Joint Base Lewis-McChord Public Affairs office:

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - JBLM commander, Col. H. Charles Hodges, Jr., will accept a $20 thousand donation on behalf of Joint Base Lewis-McChord from the NFL and USAA Million Fan Salute at 3 p.m. Thursday at the Hillside Teen Center on JLBM Lewis Main.

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Congratulations 8th Brigade ROTC at Pacific Lutheran University for winning another MacArthur Award, this time for the school year 2012-2013.

Let's read the U.S. Army Cadet Command's news release:

Fort Knox, Ky. (Feb. 28, 2014) - The U.S. Army Cadet Command announced today the eight winners of the MacArthur Awards for the school year 2012-2013.

The award recognizes the eight schools, selected from among the 275 senior Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) units nationwide, as the top programs in the country.

The awards, presented by Cadet Command and the Gen. Douglas MacArthur Foundation, recognize the ideals of "duty, honor and country" as advocated by MacArthur.

The award is based on a combination of the achievement of the school's commissioning mission, its cadets' performance and standing on the command's National Order of Merit List and its cadet retention rate.

Cadet Command and the MacArthur Foundation have given the awards each year since 1989.

This year's eight winners are:

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The time has finally come.

Maybe you filled out the Weekly Volcano's Best Of Olympia survey and maybe you didn't. But either way the Best Of Olympia edition is on the street today.

That's right, yo! It's like Christmas but better. It's like a trip to Disney World, only not lame.

Every year the Weekly Volcano produces Thurston County's, shall we say, best Best Of reference guide. Yes, Yelm, you're in there, too. Where's the best burger? The Weekly Volcano fills you in. Where is the best place to buy shoes? The Weekly Volcano tells you. Where's the best place to showcase your talent? The Weekly Volcano even tells you that.

Like we said, it's on the street today, tucked carefully inside the Weekly Volcano.

Oh, if your name is Annie Johns living in the 98502, you won our readers' poll contest. We'll be contacting you by email with your Red Lion Olympia prize package.

Congratulations to the following members of Team McChord who were named the "Best of the Best" at the 2014 Annual Awards Banquet Feb. 20.

Key Spouse
Jennifer Longoria

Civilian Category I
John Draper, 62nd Aerial Port Squadron

Civilian Category IIA
David Devine, 5th Air Support Operations Squadron

Civilian Category IIB
Eileen Rodriguez 62nd Operations Support Squadron

Airman
Senior Airman Janaya Mosley, 627th Force Support Squadron

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The Spartans of ancient Greece would be proud of the "Spartans" of the 595th Military Police Company, 508th Military Police Battalion (Internment/Resettlement) at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Tuesday afternoon, the unit - under the command of Capt. Adam Fulton - received for the first time the coveted Brig. Gen. Thomas F. Barr Award for fiscal year 2013.

The award is presented to the best military police unit (company or smaller) that is attached to or supportive of the Army Corrections Command.

"Today we honor the hard work this unit has done," said the company's 1st Sgt. Kathryn Fair.

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