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Congress recognizes four Air Force people

WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Four members of the Air Force family received Congressional Award Gold Medals along with 171 other young men and women during a ceremony on June 23 at the Russell Senate Office Building.

The program recognizes outstanding achievement in people ages 14 to 23 and involves setting goals in four areas: volunteer public service, personal development, physical fitness and expedition or exploration. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist applauded members of the group for a job well done.

“You, your service and your good works are truly inspirational,” the senator said. “Congressional Gold Medal recipients learn at a very impressionable age the value, the return, the reward of public service.”

Medal recipient Staff Sgt. Cornelio Umali, of the 99th Civil Engineer Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., headed up a number of morale-boosting activities for his squadron and the base. He pursued higher-level courses for his bachelor’s degree, worked to exceed Air Force fitness goals and led a group of teenagers on a camping trip in New Mexico.

“It took a lot of work (juggling) deployments, getting my college education and working in volunteer time, but I had a lot of help along the way,” Sergeant Umali said.

The other three recipients are family members of active-duty and retired Airmen.

Rebecca Massicotte, daughter of Senior Master Sgt. Michael and Carmen Massicotte at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, volunteered as the musical director and keyboardist for a series of family theater productions, aimed at improving quality of life for the community.

One theater production was performed the weekend following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Ms. Massicotte said she took great pleasure in helping people smile again.

“Many people came to the show downcast, but for a time we were able to take their minds off their troubles and (make them) smile again,” she said. “It was great to have been able to provide a distraction in the midst of all the turmoil surrounding the tragic events.”

She also learned to make quilts, followed an exercise program to make her a more capable skier and hiker, and camped and rode horses in Switzerland and Ireland.

A high-school junior from Offutt AFB, Neb., Katherine Warner worked long hours to help a family get a new washer and dryer.

The 16-year-old daughter of retired Col. Christopher and Ann Warner recycled more than 1,200 pounds of aluminum to raise money for the appliances. Katherine also improved her piano skills, worked to improve ballet and Pointe skills, and explored Rome with her family.

“I feel really proud that I was able to work toward the gold medal,” she said. “I’ve learned a lot from it. I think I’ve bettered myself with all the different categories and working toward the goals.”

The fourth recipient is the vice-president of an organization that discourages alcohol and tobacco abuse at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho. Christopher Zaehringer, son of retired Master Sgt. Richard Henderson and Mayumi Henderson, has been actively involved in Air Force youth programs for 11 years.

He volunteered more than 440 hours this year, helping with activities like youth dances, skate nights and other family-oriented events. He participated in Life Time Sports, a course that helped him experience many types of sports and activities. He also planned a four-day camping trip to Stanlerg, Idaho, as part of a leadership program.

To earn the medal, recipients completed at least 400 hours of voluntary public service, 200 hours of personal development, 200 hours of physical fitness and four consecutive overnights in an expedition or exploration.

The award is nonpartisan, voluntary and noncompetitive. There is no limit to the number of awards given each year.

Participants in the program earn bronze, silver and gold award certificates and medals based on their level of effort. The hours from each level are cumulative toward the next higher level.

The program is coordinated by Air Force Services Agency family-member programs.