Meet SMSgt. Sylvetris Hlongwane


SMSgt. Sylvetris Hlongwane. Courtesy photo via AFA.

SMSgt. Sylvetris Hlongwane is one of the 12

Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2019, an award recognizing airmen for superior leadership, job performance, community involvement, and personal achievement over the preceding 12 months. The 12 Airmen of the Year will be formally recognized at AFA’s Air,

Space & Cyber Conference Sept. 16-18 in National Harbor, Md.

Duty Title: Eleventh Air Force Paralegal Manager

Organization: Eleventh Air Force, JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska

Home of Record: Sumter, S.C.

SMSgt. Hlongwane led five teams in the command’s largest military justice arena, servicing five wings, 26 sites, and 55,000 clients. As the staff superintendent and acting first sergeant, she guided 380 mission partners through 320 joint taskers, linking critical mission gaps. She excelled as senior enlisted advisor during a commander-directed investigation, delivering 448 hours of testimony, supporting improvements in pilot training. SMSgt. Hlongwane executed exercises to assess a $21 million security contract that authenticated safeguards of $3 billion in protection-level assets, contributing to the return of 26 defenders to home station. Her leadership of 534 peers and 800 junior leaders culminated in her recognition as the Pacific Air Forces’ Lance P. Sijan recipient.