174th Command Chief stresses the Importance of Air Force Core Values Published March 8, 2009 By Senior Airman Kevin Dean 174th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, Syracuse, NY -- The command chief of the 174th Fighter wing, Command Chief Master Sgt. David D. Heckman, held an awards ceremony recognizing the award nominees for the airman and noncommissioned officer of the quarter competitions during the last year. Heckman pointed out how well the Air Force core values dovetail with the mission of all the tenant units at Hancock Field and thanked all the enlisted corps for all their hard work and dedication during the last year. The importance of the Air Force core values of, Integrity first, Service before self and Excellence in all we do was stressed. In attendance at the awards ceremony here in addition to the senior leadership from Hancock field was the Command Chief Master Sergeant Hardy Pierce, Jr. the Command Chief of the New York Air National Guard who personally thanked each award winner at the ceremony. At the ceremony Heckman said to the enlisted members here "I want to recognize and congratulate you and keep up the good work". Recognized in addition to the award nominees was the civil engineering squadron for receiving the prestigious Col. Frederick J. Reimer Award and the finance section were given reaper key chains for their hard work and dedication for being awarded the Financial Services Office of the Year award for the Air National Guard. Also recognized for enlsited exellence was Tech. Sgt Glen Flanders who just came back from intelligence school as the distinguished honor graduate. Not in attendance but still honored was Airman Ben Levine who scored the highest Air Force Physical Fitness Test score at basic training outscoring more than 600 recruits. The ceremony concluded with remarks from the Wing Commander, Col. Kevin W. Bradley who stated Hancock Field's culture of excellence is a direct reflection of the commitment of the enlisted airman.