Combined CCAF, PME ceremony held to recognize Airmen
Senior leaders and members of the wing, as well as friends and family of those being recognized, attended the event.
Staff Sgt. Patrick Viau, a member of the 64th Air Refueling Squadron and guest speaker and CCAF graduate, quoted President John F. Kennedy as the significance of each graduates accomplishment, "Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other."
Granite State College Admissions Coach Betty Pappa provided graduates her top five reasons for pursuing education during her commencement speech.
"Education is an investment in yourself; educate to challenge yourself; education is opportunity; education expands your mind; education improves your ability to think," she said.
Senior Airman Christopher Wood, a 2014 graduate of Airman Leadership School at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base in Tenn., spoke about his ALS experience.
"I absolutely loved the course," he said. "It's probably the best [Air Force] course I've attended."
157th Air Refueling Wing Commander Col. Shawn Burrus reflected on the importance of education, as well as the significance of the graduates accomplishments.
"By committing yourself to a life long journey of education, through reading books, taking courses, completing PME, all of those elements," Burrus said. "It's committing yourself to wanting to learn."
Cheered on by others, the graduates will now go on to use their degrees to benefit their military and civilian careers, as well as making their communities stronger.
The CCAF program is the only college in the world dedicated to the education of enlisted members of the military.
It started July 14, 1976 when President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-361 authorizing the commander of Air Training Command to confer associate degrees to enlisted Airmen. The CCAF awarded its first associate degree in April 1977. Today, the CCAF is regionally accredited by the Southern Associations of Colleges and School.
As a crucial step in career progression for both enlisted and commissioned Air Force members. PME graduates were from ALS, NCO Academy and Joint Senior NCO Academy.
To learn more about the CCAF program or PME, contact the 157th Force Support Squadron Education Flight at 603-430-3518.
Professional Military Education Class of 2014
157th Air Refueling Wing
TSgt Thomas Johnson Noncommissioned Officer Academy
TSgt Mark Wyatt Noncommissioned Officer Academy
SrA James George Airman Leadership School
SSgt Ryan Oconnor Airman Leadership School
133rd Air Refueling Squadron
SSgt Beverly Cole Airman Leadership School
157th Security Forces
MSgt Daric Buttrick Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy
MSgt Matthew Schoff Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy
MSgt Timothy Hackett Noncommissioned Officer Academy
TSgt Michael Johnson Noncommissioned Officer Academy
MSgt Jeremiah Neault Noncommissioned Officer Academy
SrA Eric Cloutier Airman Leadership School
SSgt Devin Godfrey Airman Leadership School
SSgt Joshua Heiseler Airman Leadership School
157th Logistics Readiness Squadron
TSgt Patricia Covolo Noncommissioned Officer Academy
TSgt Michael Glennon Noncommissioned Officer Academy
TSgt Kevin Leach Noncommissioned Officer Academy
TSgt Christopher McGraw Noncommissioned Officer Academy
TSgt Mike Toth Noncommissioned Officer Academy
TSgt Michael Tower Noncommissioned Officer Academy
TSgt Michael Zayac Noncommissioned Officer Academy
SSgt Jonathon P. Febonio Airman Leadership School
SrA Christopher Wood Airman Leadership School
157th Communications Flight
TSgt Gabriel Howard Noncommissioned Officer Academy
SSgt Matthew Jensen Noncommissioned Officer Academy
SSgt Alexander Geske Airman Leadership School
64th Air Refueling Squadron
TSgt Roberto L. Short Noncommissioned Officer Academy
TSgt Joseph Hewitt Noncommissioned Officer Academy
TSgt Geoffrey Schultz Noncommissioned Officer Academy
SSgt Amanda Ampey Airman Leadership School
SSgt Christopher Boyer Airman Leadership School
SSgt Austin Kotch Airman Leadership School
SSgt Patrick Viau Airman Leadership School
SSgt Kyle Vanderwagen Airman Leadership School
SrA Jessica Cervantes Airman Leadership School
SrA Shaun Conners Airman Leadership School
SrA Loraine Ermel Airman Leadership School
260th Air Traffic Control Squadron
SMSgt Pranav Zaveri Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy
MSgt Robert Stewart Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy
TSgt Eric Stephens Noncommissioned Officer Academy
SSgt Devon Carroll Airman Leadership School
SSgt John Fiorentino Airman Leadership School
157th Civil Engineering Squadron
MSgt Christopher Lemay Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy
MSgt Daniel Peterson Noncommissioned Officer Academy
TSgt Steven Ray Chasse Noncommissioned Officer Academy
SSgt Joshua Buco Airman Leadership School
SSgt Sean Webber Airman Leadership School
SSgt Kevin Banks Airman Leadership School
SrA Joseph Cooper Airman Leadership School
SSgt Derek Damour Airman Leadership School
SrA Bryant Shipman Airman Leadership School
SrA Joshua White Airman Leadership School
SrA Nicholas McPhee Airman Leadership School
157th Mission Support Group
SSgt Traci Renzella Airman Leadership School
157th Comptroller Flight
TSgt Ronald Letch Airman Leadership School
SSgt Jason Robichaud Airman Leadership School
157th Medical Group
SSgt Elizabeth Gray Airman Leadership School
SSgt Brandon McClellan Airman Leadership School
SrA John McDowell Airman Leadership School
157th Maintenance Squadron
TSgt Lena Grenier Noncommissioned Officer Academy
TSgt Michael Morris Noncommissioned Officer Academy
SSgt Darien James Flemming Airman Leadership School
SrA Rachel Marsan Airman Leadership School
SrA Jason Therrien Airman Leadership School
SrA Max Tibbetts Airman Leadership School
SrA Luke Underwood Airman Leadership School
157th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
TSgt Levi Cater Noncommissioned Officer Academy
SSgt Pedro Santiago Airman Leadership School
SSgt Ronald Williams Airman Leadership School
157th Operations Support Squadron
TSgt Adam Hanson Noncommissioned Officer Academy
TSgt Bonnie Demers Noncommissioned Officer Academy
SSgt Alexander Waiter Airman Leadership School
NH Joint Force Headquarters
CMSgt David Obertanec Joint SNCO Academy
SSgt John Raymond Airman Leadership School
157th Force Support Squadron
TSgt Nicole Elliot Noncommissioned Officer Academy
Community College of the Air Force Class of 2014
157th Civil Engineer Squadron
MSgt Robert Wolfgram Construction Technology
(Maintenance Production Management)
TSgt Joseph Naches Construction Technology
TSgt Michael Kraus Fire Science
SSgt Benjamin Bauman Information Systems Technology
SSgt Frederick Horne Construction Technology
SrA Joshua White Fire Science
157th Communications Flight
MSgt Jennifer Jones Human Resource Management
(Information Management)
TSgt Gabriel Howard Electronic Systems Technology
(Information Systems Technology)
157th Comptroller Flight
MSgt (ret) Clermont Boutin Financial Management
157th Logistics Readiness Squadron
SMSgt Jeremy Mercier Transportation
MSgt Samantha Peplinski Aviation Operations (Transportation)
TSgt Mike Toth Transportation (Logistics)
157th Maintenance Group
SMSgt Matthew Heiman Aviation Maintenance Technology
MSgt Brian Barber Metals Technology
MSgt Scott Dodge Aviation Maintenance Technology
TSGT Kenneth Fraser Aviation Maintenance Technology
MSgt Jason Hill Electronic Systems Technology
SMSgt Shane Hutchings Maintenance Production Management
MSgt Frank Perry Aviation Maintenance Technology
(Maintenance Production Management)
TSgt Keith Russo Education and Training Management
SSgt Matthew Nogueira Munitions Systems Technology
SrA Luke Underwood Avionic Systems Technology
64th Air Refueling Squadron
SSgt Christopher Boyer Aircraft maintenance Technology
SSgt Antoine Nguyen Aviation Operations
(Medical Laboratory Technician)
SSgt Patrick Viau Intelligence Analysis
157th Medical Group
SMSgt Sandra Hebert Practical Nursing Technology
157th Mission Support Group
MSgt Stephen Shea Contracts Management
SSgt Traci Renzella Contracts Management
157th Air Refueling Wing
2Lt Bryant Burns Aviation Maintenance Technology
SSgt Curtis White Criminal Justice
133rd Air Refueling Squadron
2Lt Christopher Schimmel Air Traffic Operations and Management
157th Force Support Squadron
TSgt Christopher Moisan Human Resource Management
157th Operations Support Flight
SMSgt Michael George Aviation Operations
SMSgt Brian Elliot Aircrew Safety systems Technology
TSgt Shane Hurd Aircrew Safety systems Technology
157th Security Forces
MSgt Dale Snowdon Criminal Justice
TSgt Daniel Jancsy Criminal Justice
TSgt Thomas Michaud Criminal Justice
SSgt Paul Dovich Criminal Justice
SSgt Kristopher Mauchly Criminal Justice
TSgt Thomas Moore Criminal Justice
SSgt Nathaniel Sharman Criminal Justice
260th Air Traffic Control Squadron
CMSgt Gregg Fournier Electronic Systems Technology
CMSgt Alfred Orsini Air Traffic Operations and Management
SMSgt Michael Plowman Electronic Systems Technology
SMSgt Darrell Whitney Electronic Systems Technology
TSgt Marc Coleman Electronic Systems Technology
SSgt Brittany Bigelow Logistics
SSgt Eric Moulton Electronic Systems Technology