Ky. Air Guard earns multiple Public Affairs awards from National Guard Bureau

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  • 123rd Airlift Wing
LOUISVILLE, Ky. --  The Kentucky Air National Guard’s Public Affairs team has earned multiple awards of excellence for the eighth consecutive year, taking top honors in four categories of the 2017 National Guard Bureau Media Contest.

Staff Sgt. Joshua Horton won first place in Photojournalism for his coverage of civil engineer field training; Master Sgt. Phil Speck earned first place in the Training Photo Series competition for images of the wing’s deployment for African Lion; and Lt. Col. Dale Greer received two first-place awards in the News Photo and Operational Photo Series categories for documentation of the wing’s participation in hurricane-relief operations, both at home station and in Puerto Rico.

Hundreds of entries are submitted for the annual NGB Media Contest each year, including photos, news articles and video productions from Air Guard units across the United States. Judging is accomplished by a panel of seasoned military and civilian journalists.

“I’m very proud of the entire Public Affairs team,” said Col. David Mounkes, commander of Kentucky’s 123rd Airlift Wing. “The recognition earned by Staff Sgt. Horton, Master Sgt. Speck and Lt. Col. Greer is no surprise to me, and I am very pleased that their tremendous work has continued to be so widely noticed. I expect to see more awards flowing in to this highly capable and professional team.”

Public Affairs Airmen from the Kentucky Air Guard have now earned 34 awards of excellence from the National Guard Bureau and U.S. Air Force since 2010, and more than 85 national honors since 1995, including the highest PA awards bestowed by the Department of Defense.

Last year, Greer took third place in NGB’s Photojournalism competition, and Staff Sgt. Austin Shaffner won third place for Video Feature Story.