192nd MXG brings home six prestigious awards

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgts. Bryan Myhr and Kellyann Elish
  • 192nd Wing

Six Airmen from the 192nd Wing, Virginia Air National Guard, won prominent awards in the Air Force maintenance field and were recognized by Virginia National Guard Air Component Commander Brig. Gen. Toni M. Lord on Aug. 7, 2022, at Joint Base Langley-Eustis. Representing the 192nd Maintenance Group, the Airmen won the Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez Award in five different categories and the Gen. Lew Allen Jr. Award in one category.

For the 2021 Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez Award, at the National Guard Bureau level, Airman 1st Class Aaron Burton, 192nd Maintenance Squadron aerospace propulsion journeyman, won in the Airman category; Master Sgt. Christopher Plath, 192nd MXG quality assurance superintendent, won in the maintenance manager category; Staff Sgt. Don Irk, 192nd MXS munitions systems craftsman, won in the non-commissioned officer category; Master Sgt. Jonathan King, 192nd MXS armament systems craftsman, won in the supervisor category; and Tech. Sgt. Gregory Wills, 192nd MXS armament systems craftsman, won in the technician category.

Master Sgt. John Lugo, 192nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron production superintendent, won the 2022 Gen. Lew Allen Jr. Award at the NGB level in the senior non-commissioned officer category. 

"These Airmen are very deserving of this recognition and are incredible examples of the high quality maintainers we have all throughout the 192nd Maintenance Group,” said Col. Matthew R. Hummel, 192nd MXG commander.

The Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez Award is an Air Force level award presented to maintainers who have demonstrated the highest degree of sustained job performance, job knowledge, job efficiency and results in the categories of aircraft, munitions and missile, and communications-electronics maintenance.

The Gen. Lew Allen Jr. Award is an annual award with two categories, one for excellence in sortie generation, and another for attention to detail and technical expertise in the performance of aircraft, munitions or missile maintenance. Airmen who win at the NGB level go on to compete at the Air Force level.

"Leo Marquez and Lew Allen trophies are the premiere aircraft maintenance awards, and we couldn’t be prouder of these amazing folks,” Hummel said. “We say all the time, the best maintainers in the world work in the 192nd. This is just further proof!”