Air Guard salutes top Airmen, NCOs Published June 2, 2006 ARLINGTON, Va. (AFPN) -- Six Airmen were honored in Washington, D.C., recently as the Air National Guard’s top enlisted members of the year. The honorees are:Airman of the Year: newly promoted Staff Sgt. Saul Soto-Sanchez, 156th Logistics Squadron, Muniz Air National Guard Base, Puerto Rico.NCO of the Year: Staff Sgt. Daniel Dierickx, 270th Air Traffic Control Squadron, Kingsley Field, Ore.Senior NCO of the Year: Master Sgt. and Bronze Star recipient Alphonzo Allen, 168th Security Forces Squadron, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. First Sergeant of the Year: Master Sgt. Mark Wasserbauer, 148th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Minnesota Air National Guard, Duluth, Minn.Honor Guard Program Manager of the Year: Tech. Sgt. Tiffany Kellum, Southeast Air Defense Sector, Tyndall AFB, Fla. Honor Guard Member of the Year: Senior Airman John Baxter, 184th Finance Office, McConnell AFB, Kan. Their week in Washington included a reception at the home of Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau; visits to the office of the chief master sergeant of the Air Force and other Defense Department dignitaries; tours of Arlington National Cemetery and Andrews AFB, Md.; and a game at RFK Stadium to watch the Washington Nationals defeat the Houston Astros, 5-1.The week ended with a banquet honoring the National Guard’s outstanding Soldiers and Airmen of the year at the Washington Navy Yard. (Courtesy of National Guard Bureau Public Affairs)