Fairbanks honors armed forces with 55th Annual Military Appreciation Banquet

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU) - The 55th Annual Military Appreciation Banquet in Fairbanks took place Friday evening at the 8 Star Event Center.

Over 550 people attended the event to show their gratitude for the military community in the interior and to celebrate those who were honored.

Among those who spoke at the event were Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, as well as keynote speaker General Kevin Schneider, the commander of the Pacific Air Forces. He oversees more than 46,000 airmen serving in the Indo-Pacific region.

“This is about the community of Fairbanks. This is about this golden heart that we keep talking about and the men and women who come to us by virtue of our military,” Murkowski said at the start of her speech.

She spoke of the community’s support for the military by referencing the support and love for the military by telling a soldier she had met at the banquet: “You’re in a place where there are no strangers because we will wrap our arms around you.”

Alaska’s senior senator continued by thanking both the military and civilian honorees of the night.

Sullivan echoed Murkowski’s sentiments about the interior and Alaska’s dedicated support of the military.

“The celebration of our military, it’s something that’s embedded in the DNA of Alaska, it’s embedded in the DNA of Fairbanks,” Sullivan said.

Alaska’s junior senator also noted the importance of military families.

“The families, the spouses, the kids, you know, they in many ways are the unsung heroes, because sometimes those are the toughest jobs in a military community,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan went on to explain the vital role of the military presence in the interior, citing the F-35 fighter jets and the 354th Fighter Wing at Eielson Air Force, the missile defense units at Fort Greely, the 11th Air Borne of Fort Wainwright, and others.

He called these military assets “the pillars of America’s military night.”

He also spoke to a fourth pillar.

“That fourth pillar is strong, incredible communities that support our military, and there is no stronger pillar than that in Fairbanks and Interior Alaska,” Sullivan said.

Twelve service members were honored this year. Honored service members included:

• 1st Lt. Joshua Babb, Charlie Troop, 5th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, Fort Wainwright, U.S. Army Alaska
• Staff Sgt. Brendyl Smith, 539th Composite Truck Company, 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, Fort Wainwright, U.S. Army Alaska
• Sgt. Adam Younk, Alpha Company, 25th Brigade Support Battalion, Fort Wainwright, U.S. Army Alaska
• 1st Lt. Sergio Matos, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 49th Missile Defense Battalion, Fort Greely, National Guard
• Sgt. Alex Kaska, Alpha Company, 49th Missile Defense Battalion, Fort Greely, National Guard
• Master Sgt. Kenneth Tussey, 354th Fighter Generation Squadron, 354th Fighter Wing, Eielson Air Force Base
• Technical Sgt. Kathryn Keyser, 355th Fighter Generation Squadron, 354th Fighter Wing, Eielson Air Force Base
• Staff Sgt. Matthew Szalay, 355th Fighter Generation Squadron, 354th Fighter Wing, Eielson Air Force Base
• Sgt. Iayamma Cacas, Bassett Army Community Hospital, Fort Wainwright, MEDDAC-Alaska
• Master Sgt. Stephen Kraus, 168th Security Forces Squadron, 168th Wing, Eielson Air Force Base
• Technical Sgt. Justice Lunceford, Communications Flight, 168th Wing, Eielson Air Force Base
• Airman 1st Class Zachary Hayes, 213th Space Warning Squadron, 168th Wing, Eielson Air Force Base

Two civilians were also honored. They include Sarah Piper, the treasurer of the Fort Wainwright Community Spouses Club, and Wesley Gladman, a boiler operator for the 354th Civil Engineer Squadron at Eielson Air Force Base.

Piper is being recognized for fostering a supportive community on Fort Wainwright despite facing hardship upon moving to Fairbanks.

Gladman is being recognized for his commitment to keeping power available and operational at Eielson Air Force Base, which has earned him the 354th Fighter Wing’s Category One Civilian of the Year recognition.

The banquet was established in the 1960s by Jim Messer, a veteran himself, to demonstrate the interior community’s commitment and support of military members in Alaska.

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