team successes

TriWest Helps to Present Special Military Recognition

The 2007 Military Times Service Members of the Year were announced recently, and for the second year in a row, TriWest was a presenting sponsor.

Presented by the Military Times, Service Member of the Year began in 2001 and recognizes the outstanding contributions of those in the armed services, especially those who are often overlooked or unsung. Candidates are nominated for the award by Military Times readers, making it different than other awards bestowed upon Service members. The awards’ criteria includes

• High level of professionalism
• Concern for fellow Service members
• Commitment to community service

"It’s an honor to be a part of the Service Member of the Year Awards, and all the Military Times does to support our military community," said Dave McIntyre, TriWest President and CEO. "These awards give the military community the chance to recognize actions that may otherwise go unnoticed," he added.

To learn about this year’s Service Members of the Year, read below.

Army: While deployed in Mosul, Iraq leading his platoon of Stryker soldiers, Captain Scott Smiley suffered a brain injury and permanent blindness when a suicide bomb was detonated 30 yards from the platoon. After extensive treatment for his injuries, Smiley spent a year with the Individual Training Assessment Team at U.S. Army Accessions Command, where he used a special computer and audio equipment. He also traveled to speak to both healthy and wounded soldiers about honor, duty, service to country and the value of staying in the Army to contribute hard-earned expertise. Smiley is currently pursuing his masters’ degree in business administration from Duke University. After graduation, he plans to teach management and the philosophy of military leadership at West Point.

Navy: Ship's Serviceman First Class Petty Officer Angela Crawford is the Supply Department Leading Petty Officer and Sales Division Retail Operations Management Records Keeper supervising 40 personnel aboard the Monterey, which has a crew of approximately 350. Crawford has meticulously maintained 100% accountability of over 1,200 line items valued at over $235,000, which generated a record $40,000 in profits for the ships Morale, Welfare and Recreation's account in 2006. Her keen foresight and aggressive attitude keep all of the ship's retail, vending, barber and laundry services performing at their highest standards, earning an outstanding Supply Management Inspection score of 98.5% She's also the command's Sexual Assault Victim Intervention representative, a member of the damage control training team and the enlisted surface warfare specialist coordinator, and she mentors seven of her younger shipmates.

Marines: Reserve Major Theodore Wong has spent 42 of the last 60 months on active duty, and estimates that he’s been mobilized for at least 10 of the last 22 years. In Khalidiya, Iraq in September 2005, Wong’s vehicle was traveling along the city's main road when the enemy attacked - a roadside bomb hit the foot patrol and small-arms fire erupted from three positions. Wong heard the explosion and rushed toward the sound of the guns, drawing enemy fire by exposing himself long enough for Hunter and the Iraqi soldiers to set up a perimeter and evacuate the wounded. When at home in Dale City, CA, Maj. Wong mentors youth through the Devil Pups and Young Marines programs, maintains a letter-writing campaign for deployed Service members and visits injured troops at local hospitals.

Air Force: Staff Sergeant Matthew P. Patnaude, at only 24 years old, is the owner of two Purple Heart medals, both of which were earned in the course of his dirty and dangerous job: disarming roadside bombs, the No. 1 killer of American troops in Iraq.  Snipers, explosive booby traps and sandstorms defined Patnaude's tours in Iraq. Stationed in Kirkuk, he completed a dizzying 105 missions in his last five-month deployment. In 2006, he neutralized 45 makeshift bombs, more than 40,000 pieces of explosive ordnance and nine insurgent weapons caches. While recovering from injuries sustained in Iraq, Patnaude helped convince commanders that snipers were singling out EOD airmen because of their distinct dress. Across Iraq, EOD team chiefs were immediately cleared to put their airmen in Army uniforms. Though he could leave the military due to his injuries, Patnaude is committed to military service, and serves as an Air Force ambassador in the community.

Coast Guard: Health Services Technician 3rd Class Anjelica Hopkins-Slayton spent an eventful 18 months aboard the Dallas, during which she looked after her shipmates and contributed to a range of public-service projects, including the repair of a school and orphanage in the Dominican Republic. While on patrol in the Caribbean in 2006, the Dallas stopped a boat with more than 80 Cuban migrants. She took control of the chaotic situation, providing training to other crew members in how to identify key medical issues, and conducted thorough medical screenings to this group, many of whom were severely dehydrated and in need of medication. Hopkins-Slayton’s actions directly resulted in the full recovery of each individual. Additionally, Hopkins-Slayton donates time to charities, including Habitat for Humanity and local soup kitchens.

Photos courtesy of Militarytimes.com.