Eastern Air Defense Sector Sergeant is Air National Guard's Top Honor Guard Member for 2013

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Tech Sgt. Amy Ough

ROME, NY (04/04/2014)(readMedia)-- New York Air National Guard Tech. Sgt. Amy Ough of the Eastern Air Defense Sector is the Air National Guard Honor Guard Program Member of the Year.

"Winning a national award in an organization of 106,000 people is a remarkable accomplishment," said Col. Wade Dewey, EADS Commander. "On behalf of the unit, I want to say congratulations to Tech. Sgt. Ough. All the men and women of the Eastern Air Defense Sector are so proud of her. She has spent countless hours of personal time performing honor guard duties and this award is well-deserved recognition of that selfless dedication."

EADS honor guard supports numerous high-profile events such as Syracuse University basketball games, Memorial Day parades and Veterans Day events. The honor guard's primary task, however, is providing military honors for local veterans' funerals. EADS supported nearly 40 funerals last year and Ough participated in more than a quarter of them.

A West Winfield resident, Ough transitioned from the active-duty Air Force to the New York Air National Guard in 2002 and has served on the unit's honor guard for the last 10 years. Ough was also the winner of this year's New York State Honor Guard Program Member of the Year.

There are more than 106,000 members of the Air National Guard in the United States.

Ough will now go on to compete against the active duty Air Force and Air Force Reserve winners for the Honor Guard member award for the entire Air Force.

The Eastern Air Defense Sector is headquartered at Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome. Staffed by active-duty New York Air National Guardsmen and a Canadian Forces detachment, the unit supports the North American Aerospace Defense Command's (NORAD) integrated warning and attack assessment missions and the U.S. Northern Command's (USNORTHCOM) homeland defense mission. EADS is responsible for air sovereignty and counter-air operations over the eastern United States and directs a variety of assets to defend one million square miles of land and sea.