Okinawa, Japan / November 22, 2016
The Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance held its fourth annual Okinawa Defender of the Year Award Ceremony in Okinawa, Japan on Tuesday November 22, 2016. The event honored Missile Defenders of the U.S. Army 1st Battalion 1st Air Defense Artillery, U.S. Air Force 18th Wing, Japan Air Self Defense Force 5th Air Defense Missile Group, and Japan Ground Self Defense Force 15th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment.
2016 Okinawa Defenders of the Year:
U.S. Army 1st Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery Awardees
| SGT Ruben Hernandez | SGT John Gonzalez | 2LT William Heida |
| PFC Juan Mejia | SPC Carlos Flores | SPC Charles Briggs |
| PFC Raven Piper | SSG Melissa Smith | SGT James Semiene |
| PFC Danielle Blackmond | PFC Cameron Westfall | PFC Tyler Heim |
| SSG Walter Smith | SPC Joseph Baranoski | SPC Aaron Morris |
| 1LT Patrick Rachel | SPC Isaac Reid | SPC Mary Taylor |
U.S. Air Force 18th Wing Awardees
| SSgt James Anderson | A1C Alexander Kadajski |
| TSgt Lauren Ducote | A1C Nicholas Garcia |
Japan Air Self Defense Force 5th Air Defense Missile Group Awardees
| SSgt Tomohide Itarashiki | SSgt Masakazu Ikeda |
| SSgt Yutaka Toguchi | TSgt Shunsuke Suzuki |
| SSgt Shu Miyazaki | SSgt Keito Suto |
Japan Ground Self Defense Force 15th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment Awardees
| SGT Yuya Tachibana | SGT Takayuki Shingaki |
| SGT Ryotaro Kaku | MSG Masaki Hitaka |
| SGT Tsuyoshi Oshiro | SFC Manabu Higaonna |
Distinguished guests included Lieutenant General Junichi Araki of Japan, Commander of the Japanese Southwestern Composite Air Division, Major General James Pasquarette, Commander of U.S. Army Japan and I Corps, Brigadier General Sean Gainey, Commander of the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command (AAMDC), and Lieutenant Colonel Scott Dellinger, Commander of the 1-1 ADA.
