Syracuse Air National Guardsmen is NORAD's Outstanding Junior Airman

Two New York Air National Guardsmen and a civilian member serving at the Eastern Air Defense Sector have received annual awards from NORAD and the U.S. Northern Command. NORAD and Northern Command are headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.

Recipients include Airman 1st Class Megan Mills, from Syracuse, N.Y., named NORAD's Junior Enlisted Airman of the Year award.

A surveillance technician, Mills detected more than 860 potential threats during 22 Presidential support missions and played an instrumental role in Operation Allied Refuge, monitoring 14 flights to the U.S. from Afghanistan. An accomplished graphic artist, Mills designed an infographic for the Air National Guard Command Chief Master Sergeant's office and subsequently appeared on the Chief's leadership podcast.

The 224th ADG is composed of the 224th ADS and 224th SPTS, located in Rome, and Detachment 1 and Detachment 2 that serve in the Washington, D.C. area. The 224th ADG provides the forces to conduct the Eastern Air Defense Sector's (EADS) mission. Part of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the Sector is responsible for the air defense of the eastern U.S.

For more information about the New York Air National Guard, visit www.dmna.ny.gov. For more information on the Eastern Air Defense Sector and the 224th Air Defense Group, visit www.eads.ang.af.mil.