KEY FIELD AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Miss. -- Two airmen with the 186th Air Refueling Wing (ARW) in Meridian, Mississippi, were announced as the 2024 Outstanding Airmen of the Year (OAY) Award winners for the Mississippi Air National Guard.
Each year candidates are selected at the wing level and submitted for consideration to represent at the state level. Recipients for 2024 are Senior Airman Tyler Fant and Master Sgt. James Munn. These airmen demonstrated exceptional leadership, outstanding job performance and commitment to the advancement of fellow airmen.
“The Airmen of the Year Award competition provides us with an opportunity to honor the accomplishments of airmen and highlight top performers for their dedication to duty and support of the mission. We are proud to have two Airmen within the 186th Air Refueling Wing receive this honor for the state,” said Commander Colonel Cynthia Smith.
Award Categories and Winners:
Airman of the Year- Senior Airman Tyler Fant of the 186th Civil Engineering Squadron. Fant, Electrical Power Production journeyman, serves as an electrical power production journeyman and ensures readiness and proper capabilities of facility power requirements and power generation equipment.
Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year- Master Sgt. James Munn, of the 186th Security Forces Squadron, is responsible for criminal investigations, Counter Insider Threat, Force Protection Intelligence, and Combating Trafficking in Persons Program Manager. He also serves as the installation’s Antiterrorism Program Manager and the installation’s Personal Security Advisor.
The 186th Air Refueling Wing provides 1,100 personnel and eight KC-135R aircraft to Air Mobility Command for worldwide operations. Additional units at Key Field include the 238th Air Support Operations Squadron, the 248th Air Traffic Control Squadron, and the 186th Air Operations Group.