Okinawa, Japan / November 24, 2015
The Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance held its third annual Okinawa Defender of the Year Award Ceremony in Okinawa, Japan on Tuesday November 24, 2015. The event honored Missile Defenders of the U.S. Army 1st Battalion 1st Air Defense Artillery, Japan Air Self Defense Force 5th Air Defense Missile Group, and Japan Ground Self Defense Force 15th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment.
2015 Okinawa Defenders of the Year:
U.S. Army 1st Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery Awardees
| 2LT Theodore M. Fong | SPC Ryan M. Walton |
| SPC Allan J. Widebeck | SPC Nathan C. Bahr |
| SPC Cody F. Santiago | SSG Aaron M. Smith |
| SGT Tanner R. Hintzman | SPC Tyler J. Engelbrecht |
| SPC Cody KC. Kaminski | PFC Brandon A. Blair |
Japan Air Self Defense Force 5th Air Defense Missile Group Awardees
| S.Sgt Kohei Uchida | T.Sgt Takahiro Nishimura |
| S.Sgt Shigeki Yamashita | S.Sgt Eita Ashimine |
| T.Sgt Yasuhiro Suganami | S.Sgt Syogo Shinzato |
| S.Sgt Okimasa Iha | Sgt Takuya Shinzato |
Japan Ground Self Defense Force 15th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment Awardees
| SFC Kazuo Takayoshi | SFC Jyunpei Endo |
| SFC Yasuaki Kinjyo | SGT Toru Rokuta |
| SGT Reiji Takahashi | SFC Hirokazu Kodama |
