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Marines honor 8th AMU Airmen

  • Published
  • By Jamie Haig
  • 1st SOW Public Affairs
Two Airmen assigned to the 8th Aircraft Maintenance Unit were surprised April 5 when Marine Col. Mark Clark, commanding officer of the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Training Squadron 204, pinned the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal on them during an impromptu ceremony in Independence Hangar.

Master Sgt. James Vaughan and Tech. Sgt. Dennis Hudon were recognized by the Marine unit for outstanding support during their deployment to Hurlburt Field.

"These men were our 'go-to' guys for our maintainers," Colonel Clark said. "They were instrumental in helping our guys. Our deployment would not have been successful without them."

According to the citation, Sergeant Vaughan was the lead enlisted maintenance point of contact for VMMT 204. His superior professionalism and outstanding resourcefulness had a direct impact on their ability to conduct daily flight operations.

It continued by saying that Sergeant Vaughan provided critical technical, material, administrative and logistics support to the squadron and made available ground support check-out procedures, aircraft tow qualification requirements and proper refuel request procedures.

He made sure the Marines had back shop support and use of the maintenance spaces and equipment to complete their work. It also stated that Sergeant Vaughan's unwavering support played a critical role in ensuring the success of the 204th maintenance department.

Sergeant Hudon was recognized for his outstanding material support while exhibiting the highest degree of military professionalism and diplomacy. He developed a working relationship with his Marine counterparts and offered his expertise on base operations and at the same time, instructed them on the ground support equipment and airfield resources.

Sergeant Hudon also provided daily flight line safety briefings and advised the Marines of specific things to watch for.

"Sergeant Hudon coordinated for personnel and training on a daily basis," said Senior Master Sgt. Jorge Morales, 8th AMU enlisted supervisor. "He arranged for one of the Marine planes to be dedicated for upgrade training, while Sergeant Vaughan was the Air Force point of contact for the MV-22 crew chief Marine Master Sergeant Jody Law."

Both men were told to report to the hangar for a presentation by Colonel Clark. They were not told they were receiving the medals.

"This was a great honor, I will never forget this," Sergeant Hudon said. "I felt I was doing my job - we're a family. They would have done the same for us if we were on their turf."

Sergeant Vaughan mirrored those sentiments.

"I was shocked. I felt I was just doing my job and nothing more," he said. "I've worked extensively with the Marines in the past and have a great respect for them. Anything they needed wasn't a problem, they were pretty self-sustaining."