Troy Airman receives Meritorious Service Medal

The 224th Air Defense Group (ADG) at the Eastern Air Defense Sector recently recognized seven New York Air National Guardsmen for outstanding performance. Recognized Airmen included Lt. Col. Matthew Perala from Troy, N.Y., who received the Meritorious Service Medal.

A traditional, part-time Guardsman, Perala leveraged his civilian job skills to update interagency checklists and create cooperative agreements with outside agencies, bolstering EADS cyberspace defense. Perala also demonstrated outstanding leadership of 20 Airmen during a national North American Aerospace Defense Command exercise.

The 224th ADG is composed of the 224th Air Defense Squadron and 224th Support Squadron, 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 mission. Part of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, 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.