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January
13, 2010 - Hurlburt Field, FL -- The commander of Air Force Special
Operations Command presented the Legion of Merit medal to a retiring
Combat Control veteran during a brief ceremony here Jan. 5, 2010.
The medal Lt. Gen. Donald
C. Wurster presented to Chief Master Sgt. Mike Ramos, the AFSOC Combat
Control functional manager, served as a capstone to the chief's career
of more than 30 years.
"The Legion of Merit is
the award you give to a successful wing commander," the general said.
"It is presented to command chiefs extremely rarely."
Processing the LOM required requesting an exception to policy, endorsed
by the AFSOC commander and approved by the Air Force Decorations Board.
Left;
Chief Master Sgt. Mike Ramos, former Air Force Special Operations
combat controller functional manager, mans a .50-caliber machine gun
during one of his many deployments. Chief Ramos was recently awarded
the Legion of Merit medal for his notable contributions to the combat
controller career field, exceptional leadership and unyielding
commitment to excellence. |
"It is exceptional, but so was Chief Ramos' service," said Chief Mike Gilbert, AFSOC command chief.
A few months ago, Chief Ramos' successor, Chief Tim Hoye, discussed the
options of an appropriate decoration for the soon-to-be retired chief.
His directorate leaders all agreed that adding another Meritorious
Service Medal to Chief Ramos' revered ribbon rack just wasn't going to
do the venerable warrior justice, Chief Hoye said.
"The general criterion is, in addition to exceptional leadership, the
nominee must have a broad impact on the force," Chief Gilbert said. "In
Mike's case, as one of the very top chiefs in special tactics, that
case was easily made.
"Across special tactics, the Air Force and U.S. Special Operations
Command, his expertise and leadership are a given - he was also a
visionary," the command chief said. "He was one of the main forces
behind expanding our Joint Terminal Attack Controller force by
selecting and training experienced Tactical Air Control Party Airmen to
fill special operations JTAC requirements. This has allowed AFSOC to
increase our support to our brothers on the ground."
"As I've served in this command, I've met so many chiefs who do such
phenomenal things, it is always difficult to decide who among them
deserve that extra level of recognition for their service," Chief
Gilbertsaid. "Mike's leadership and impact across the force in a
community so critical to our success on the battlefield made a clear
case for fighting for the higher award."
Chief Ramos' impact on the SOF mission goes well beyond the AFSOC Combat Control and special tactics mission.
"He devoted himself to meeting, mentoring and influencing every Airman
who came into AFSOC by conducting and participating in weekly physical
fitness training sessions while these Airmen attended the Commando
Pride Airman Center," Chief Hoye said. "He took time each week to let
them know that AFSOC was different and that they needed to commit
themselves to an AFSOC way of life that required more of them than just
being in the 'Big Blue' Air Force."
Throughout his career, Chief Ramos, a highly decorated veteran of
multiple deployments, filled every role or position within special
tactics and forged, then filled, the first AFSOC Combat Control FAM
position, Chief Hoye said. "He was my mentor ... he was consistent,
fair, assertive, responsible and held people accountable ... in my
eyes, the epitome of what a chief should be."
For Chief Ramos, it essentially boiled down to honoring where he came from.
"I remember, as a young Airman in the field, thinking 'I hope someone
at the top knows what it's like to be the only Air Force guy attached
to an Army, Navy, Marine, or Coalition team,'" Chief Ramos said. "And
they were always there for me. As I increased in rank, I tried to think
about the troops on the ground and do whatever I could to support
them."
"My drive has always been the mission and therefore the Airmen, because
they accomplish the mission," Chief Ramos said. "For a chief, they are
the mission." |
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