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Master Sgt. James Hodge (right), 66th Air Base Group first sergeant, Hanscom AFB, Mass., was awarded the AFSA Pitsenbarger Award for performing two heroic acts. In March, he freed two severely injured drivers trapped after a fiery car accident and provided first aid to both drivers as well as their passengers in Montgomery, Ala. Then, in a visit to an Airman in a hospital, Hodge was in a restroom when he heard noises from a stall and noticed a pool of blood. He forced his way into the stall, disregarding his own safety, and disarmed the man who had a severe, self-inflicted wound, applied a tourniquet, and saved his life. He said, “My parents raised me so that if you see someone needs help, you help them.”
Six decades after joining the military, Dr. Linda Spoonster Schwartz, a retired flight nurse and Vietnam veteran, continues to advocate for veterans’ health benefits. In 1986, she suffered a traumatic brain injury and had to be medically retired, then struggled to get the medical care she needed. Schwartz then began to advocate for veteran access to mental health care, employment opportunities, and housing and financial assistance. She also testified before Congress on roles for women in the military and promoted the creation of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial. The Department of Veterans Affairs honored her in 2025 as one of its Women’s Veteran Trailblazers.
Staff Sgt. Joseph Griffith, 45th Logistics Readiness Sq., was named Space Systems Command Air Terminal NCO of the Year in 2025. His team is responsible for moving, inspecting, ensuring, and processing cargo and passengers. From Patrick Space Force Base, Fla., mission partners rely on Griffith for delivery of food, infrastructure, critical supplies, water treatments, and construction materials. “What we’re moving directly impacts people’s ability to live and operate. These aren’t items that can wait months on a ship, they’re needed now,” he said. His connection with his team is built on trust, approachability, and balance.
2nd Lt. Renata Russell was named the USAFA Cadet of the Year from a pool of nearly 5,000 cadets. She served as Cadet Wing chief of staff, the third-highest position, and organized the first Military Service Academy Leadership Summit. In addition, as Basic Training Flight commander, Russell trained 27 recruits and streamlined programs for over 1,000 cadets. She is currently an undergraduate cyber warfare training student at the 33rd Training Sq. at Keesler, Air Force Base, Miss., and credits the excellent example her upperclassmen set for her while she was a freshman. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach presented her with the award on Jan. 30.
USAFA Cadet 1st Class Anirvin Puttur, Mesa, Ariz., was selected as a 2026 Rhodes Scholar. The prestigious scholarship fully covers his post-graduate studies at the University of Oxford, U.K., where he will pursue a master’s in engineering science. As a former Civil Air Patrol cadet, Puttur excelled in leadership positions and become cadet captain. “CAP gave me a solid foundation, not just in military customs and courtesies, but in real life leadership,” he said. After completing the Soaring Program at the Academy, which trains cadets in glider operations, Puttur became an instructor pilot and performed on the elite Aerobatic Demonstration Team. In the future, he wants to become a test pilot or pursue advanced research in aeronautics.
The U.S. Space Force graduated the first class of its Captain’s Leadership Course on Feb. 14 at Texas A&M University. Led by Space Training and Readiness Command’s Space Delta 13, the four-week course is the first professional military education program designed specifically for captains in the Space Force. The course focuses on leadership, communication, space expertise, and joint integration. One of the 24 students, Capt. Alexander Arietta, 328th Weapons Sq. instructor with Space Delta 11, said, “the biggest takeaway for me was the focus on growth … leadership doesn’t have a finish line. You’re always learning, adapting, and improving.”
The 563rd Rescue Group responded Feb. 5 to a commercial ship’s request for immediate medical assistance to help a 19-year-old man aboard Maran Gas Olympias, a natural gas tanker in the Pacific Ocean, 340 nautical miles off the coast of Mexico. Due to limited pilot availability, Air Force Lt. Col. Jeff Budis (center), chief of exercises and air shows for Air Forces Southern, who maintains his rescue pilot qualifications, was also called in. Air Force Capt. Nate Delaney (right), 55th Rescue Sq., flew alongside Budis, along with Staff Sgt. James Delaura (left), 563rd Operations Support Sq., a special missions aviator. The rescue team flew 17 hours over two days to reach the patient and transport him ashore. The distance over open water required mission planning, multiple helicopter air-to-air refueling events, and coordination among pararescue teams and the tanker crew.