The Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance held its sixth annual Peninsula Defender of the Year Award Ceremony in Seoul, Korea on Wednesday, November 29, 2017. The event honored 41 Missile Defenders from the U.S. and Republic of Korea.

2017 Peninsula Defenders of the Year:

1CPT John Hohng
SGT Lawrence Sanchez
PFC Lawrence Mabute
2LT Conner Camp
SPC Joseph Cork
SPC Alec Sanders
PFC Austin Sparks
PFC Hipolito Gonzolez
SGT Derrick Gordon
SGT Cesar Castandea
PFC Trenton Broughton
PFC Dequawnta Raspberry
SGT Kindal Holeman
PFC Brandi Brown
SGT Clayton Gadson
SPC Aaron Haines
PFC Clayton Glauner
PFC Carlos Barrientos
SPC Gerald Palmer
PFC Arturo Delvillar
SPC Ian Fletcher
PFC Noah Peyman
WO Kim Myeong Nam
TSgt Kim Kyoung Su
MSgt Lee Jun Young
1LT Oh Gyu Beom
SMSgt Lee Jung Woo
TSgt Song Jae Min
MSgt Julia Valenzuela
2LT Felix Camacho
SPC Andrew Steffes
SGT Matthew Gerhartz
SPC Samuel Gustin
SPC Brandon Winfield
SPC Steven Wendland
SGT Tyler Doughty
SPC Jose Osuna
SGT Caleb Williams
SPC Tracey Stevenson
SPC Richard Sowders
SGT Aaron Rabello

To bring honor to these 41 leaders of excellence, Lieutenant General Thomas Vandal, Commanding General of U.S. 8th Army and Chief of Staff for the ROK- US Combined Forces Command, Command Sergeant Major Richard Merritt, Command Sergeant Major of U.S. 8th Army, Brigadier General Sean Gainey, Commanding General of the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command (AAMDC), Command Sergeant Major John Foley, Command Sergeant Major of the 94th AAMDC, Brigadier General Park Chan Sik, Commander of the ROK 3rd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Colonel Richard Wright, Commander of the 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, and Command Sergeant Major Eric McCray, Brigade Sergeant Major of the 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, recognized each Peninsula Missile Defender of the Year solider and airmen for 2017.