Ohio National Guard News
COLUMBUS, Ohio (09/08/16) — They've helped a small village rebuild its medical facility, trained and mentored junior officers, and volunteered as coaches and tutors in their communities. Now, four members of the Ohio National Guard have gained national recognition for their achievements and dedicated service to their community and country. The National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) has selected the Ohio Air National Guard's Maj. Jeffery Zetzer and 1st Lt. Ashley Klase to receive the Meritorious Service Award, and Ohio Air National Guard Capt. Matthew Blackburn and Ohio Army National Guard Capt. Phillip Patti to receive the Theodore Roosevelt Leadership Award for Company Grade Officers. The awards will be presented on Sept. 12 during the 138th annual NGAUS Conference in Baltimore. "I'm proud of these Airmen and Soldiers for their accomplishments. Their dedication and leadership serves an example of the men and women who dedicate their careers to serving their communities and country as a member of the Ohio National Guard," said Maj. Gen. Mark E. Bartman, Ohio adjutant general. |
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The Meritorious Service Award was created to recognize individuals for significant contributions to the U.S. government, armed forces or NGAUS. |
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First Lt. Ashley Klase, of Wooster, Ohio, is the supervisory civil engineer for the 200th RED HORSE (Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers) Squadron, Detachment 1 based out of Mansfield. Less than four years into her career in the Ohio National Guard, she has served as supervisory engineer and project manager for many construction projects, including renovating a health clinic in a small Romanian village. “Being able to help people means a lot to me,” Klase said. “I get to work with incredibly talented and motivated people every day and it pushes me to constantly work harder and try to be better for them and this organization.” |
Maj. Jeffery Zetzer, of Port Clinton, Ohio, is the logistics flight commander for the 200th RED HORSE (Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers) Squadron, based at Camp Perry Joint Training Center in Port Clinton, and has been a member of the Ohio National Guard for 22 years. In his community, he’s volunteered as a softball and baseball coach, and in his military career, he’s deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, Qatar, Israel and, most recently, to Guam. “To be recognized as a logistics officer in the RED HORSE civil engineering squadron means that our command understands the contribution each Airman has to the success of the unit,” Zetzer said of receiving the award. “This mission is not something I do for credit to myself, as the end goal is to have my unit ready to perform its duties at the most elite level.” |
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First Lt. Ashley Klase (top, in red construction helmet), works with a fellow member of the 200th RED HORSE Squadron to place concrete for one of four buildings during a construction project in Israel in February 2016. Klase, of Wooster, Ohio, has been selected to receive a 2016 National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) Meritorious Service Award. (Courtesy photo) |
Zetzer (promoted from the rank of captain since this photo was taken), logistics flight commander for the 200th RED HORSE Squadron, surveys a construction site while deployed to Guam in March 2016. Zetzer, of Port Clinton, Ohio, has been selected to receive a 2016 National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) Meritorious Service Award. (Courtesy photo) |
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Leadership ServiceThe Theodore Roosevelt Leadership Award was established to recognize the achievements and dedicated service of Army and Air National Guard junior officers who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and professionalism in their service to country and community. |
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Capt. Phillip Patti, of Olmsted Falls, Ohio, is the administrative officer for the 1st Battalion, 145th Armored Regiment in Stow. He has 16 years of service in the National Guard, and is a graduate of the U.S. Army Ranger School. Patti has developed training for junior officers and was trainer of the year for the Ohio Army National Guard in 2014. “Seeing the Soldiers and officers I have worked with and helped to train get promoted, make the right decisions and lead organizations of their own is extremely rewarding,” he said. “At the heart of my service is knowing I can work to provide a better way of life and a certain amount of protection for my Family and my country.”
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Capt. Matthew Blackburn, of Fairview Park, Ohio, is a civil engineer with the 200th RED HORSE (Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers) Squadron at Camp Perry. In his 11 years with the Ohio National Guard, he said he’s most proud of a construction project in Israel, where he served as the officer in charge of more than 650 engineers from the Navy and eight Air National Guard units to construct four 10,000 square-feet multipurpose exercise buildings. “The project required over a year of planning and roughly nine months of construction,” Blackburn said. “The completion of this massive and complex joint effort was a true testament to the hard work and dedication of many, and represented the true capabilities of the Ohio National Guard.” |
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Patti (second from right), administrative officer for the 1st Battalion, 145th Armored Regiment, briefs Soldiers during annual training in June 2016 at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calif. Patti, of Olmsted Falls, Ohio, has been selected to receive a 2016 National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) Theodore Roosevelt Leadership Award for Company Grade Officers. (Courtesy photo) |
Blackburn (right), civil engineer with the 200th RED HORSE Squadron, shakes hands with Air Force Lt Gen. Timothy Ray while deployed to Israel in February 2016. Also pictured is Israeli Air Force Brig. Gen. Zvika Haimovich (left) and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro. Blackburn, of Fairview Park, Ohio, has been selected to receive a 2016 National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) Theodore Roosevelt Leadership Award for Company Grade Officers. (Courtesy photo) |
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In addition to the individual NGAUS awards, Distinguished Mission Support plaques will be presented to the following Ohio Air National Guard units:
More details about the awards are available on the NGAUS website. |
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