MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- The 23rd Wing will celebrate this year's annual award winners during a ceremony at 6 p.m., Jan. 12 at the James H. Rainwater Convention Center in Valdosta.
The evening will honor the wing's top military and civilian performers in 10 different categories. Attendees will also get to hear from retired Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald Murray, who will serve as the guest speaker for the event.
"I'm extremely excited that we're able to bring Chief Murray to Moody to speak," said Master Sgt. Stephani Malpass, chair of the 2007 Annual Awards Ceremony. "We're lucky to have such a positive role model coming to speak to us."
Chief Murray was selected as the 14th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force on July 1, 2002, and held the position for four years until he retired Oct. 1, 2006. Before that, he served as Moody's command chief between April 1996 and August 1999.
In an effort to highlight the wing's high operations tempo and deployment cycle, organizer's for this year's ceremony decided to use the Airman's Creed as the theme.
"The ceremony will correlate directly with our Airmen's Creed," said Master Sgt. Justin Davis, the event's co-chair. "The saying we want to exemplify is in the second line of the final paragraph of the creed; 'Wingman, Leader, Warrior.'"
More than 50 Airmen and civilians were nominated for their personal accomplishments and exemplary demonstration of the Air Force's core values, said Sergeant Malpass.
"This year's awards ceremony gives us a chance to reflect on the accomplishments of the wing," she added. "By acknowledging these events, we will directly recognize 10 of these outstanding Airmen and civilians who went above and beyond the call of duty to help make the 23rd Wing a success this year.
"We have a great line-up for every Flying Tiger to come enjoy," said Sergeant Malpass. "We hope that everyone attends the ceremony, because this is for all Airmen who put so much into the every day operations of the wing."
The evening will begin with refreshments at 6 p.m., followed by dinner starting at 7 p.m.