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XD receives first Patriot Medal
Salina, Kan., (March 29, 2010) - Salina Airport Authority Executive
Director Tim Rogers, A.A.E. was awarded the first Kansas National Guard
Patriot Medal, March 26, at the M.J. Kennedy Air Terminal Building.
Kansas Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Tod M. Bunting presented Rogers with
the medal "for providing immeasurable support to the Great Plains
Joint Training Center and Kansas National Guard" during a briefing
with the chief of the National Guard Bureau, Gen. Craig R. McKinley.
"The airport is in a whole
other dimension of support," said Maj. Gen. Bunting during the
briefing. "We came up with a new award to recognize people
who have been incredible to us for a long time, and I'm talking well
over a decade not just a few months."
This marks the first time this award has ever been given by the Kansas
National Guard, and the chief of the National Guard Bureau, Gen. Craig
R. McKinley, along with other Guard VIPs and local officials were there
to witness it.
"You go to other cities where they don't have that kind of support
and it's a whole different ballgame," said Gen. McKinley.
A surprised Rogers called
it "a distinct honor" for the airport and the Salina
community to be host to the National Guard and other military units.
"I'm deeply honored to have received the Kansas Guard's Patriot
Medal," said Rogers. "It is a privilege to be of
service to the men and women who are dedicated to the service of their
state and nation."
Great Plains Joint Training Center Deputy Commander, Lt. Col. Jeffry
Jordan said Rogers, being the first awarded the medal, has set the
standard extremely high for the future recipients.
"I'm not sure what else anyone could do to be awarded the second
medal now," he explained. "He has set the bar so high
and over the last couple of decades really."
The
Salina Airport Authority is actively involved in the Governor's
Military Affairs Council and works to facilitate military units basing
at the airport and training over the nearby weapons range.
The
award reads as follows:
For distinguished service in duty of great responsibility over a period
of several years, Mr. Timothy F. Rogers, Executive Director, Salina
Airport Authority, is hereby awarded the Kansas National Guard Patriot
Medal for providing immeasurable support to Great Plains Joint Training
Center and the Kansas National Guard. His persistent and
exceptional efforts have enabled the Kansas National Guard to expand
its capabilities in providing world class joint-use training
opportunities for our warfighters; setting the standard for community
partnerships. A visionary, his interaction with Kansas National
Guard leadership has facilitated the Salina Municipal Airport to
function seamlessly as a Forward Operating Location for Canadian and US
military personnel using the Great Plains Joint Training Center
facilities and ranges. Support initiatives implemented by Mr.
Timothy Rogers include the construction of a weapons storage area, hot
arm area and additional hangar which will positively influence the Kansas
National Guard and its capabilities long beyond his tenure. The
distinctive accomplishments of Mr. Timothy Rogers reflect great credit
upon himself as a true champion of the Kansas National Guard and the
State of Kansas.
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