Mississippi Air National Guard members from Meridian’s Key Field were recognized for outstanding service Thursday during the Air and Space Force Association G.V. Sonny Montgomery Chapter’s 19th annual meeting. The yearly event highlights service members from units attached to the 186th Air Refueling Wing who have gone above and beyond in leadership, excellence and determination over the past year.
Langford Knight, president of the G.V. Sonny Montgomery Chapter, said the mission of the Air and Space Force Association is to support the Air National Guard and its members however it can. Recognizing those who have demonstrated their commitment to service is a key part of that effort, he said.
Recognized as Outstanding Airman of the Year is Senior Airman Ashton Bailey. While still relatively young, Bailey has shown a talent for problem solving and finding solutions when it matters, said Col. Cydridge Gray of the 186th Air Component Operations Squadron. Gray said Bailey leans forward into the challenges, works to understand the mission and come up with solutions that achieve the mission goals.
Recognized as Outstanding Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year is Tech Sgt. Tyler Fleming. Lt. Col. Philip Garrett of the 186th Civil Engineering Squadron, said Fleming came to the 186th from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and immediately began improving the unit’s emergency response capabilities. In addition to rewriting the Emergency Management Plan, which hadn’t been reworked in a decade, he organized the first major accident response exercise in 14 years, provided training to more than 250 members of the Guard and more.
“In just a couple months in the job, I was seeing visitors come through the building, and they weren’t coming to me. They were coming to Ty,” Garrett said. “Everything from safety, security forces, wing plans.”
Recognized as Outstanding Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year is Master Sgt. Merche Copeland. As senior non-commissioned officer Copeland is tasked with managing the 51 people in the 186 Medical Group. She helps guide and mentor them, hold them accountable and address issues that come up throughout the week, said Lt. Daniel Ward.
“I don’t know what we would do without her,” he said.
Recognized as First Sergeant of the Year is Senior Master Sgt. Ira Hamilton. On a recent deployment to Guam, Hamilton was tasked with leading 205 people in flying more than 400 refueling missions, which in total delivered more than 13 million pounds of fuel to aircraft operating in the Pacific region, said Chief Master Sgt. Chris Guyse.
“He is a role model who inspires both officers and enlisted personnel, consistently encouraging their personal growth while fostering a culture of excellence,” Guyse said. “His leadership, compassion and unwavering dedication made him the clear choice for this honor.”
Receiving the Chief Master Sgt. Wayne Benthall Leadership Award is Master Sgt. Jason Horton. The Chief Master Sgt. Wayne Benthall Leadership Award is given to airmen who conduct themselves with integrity, leadership, excellence and show a heart for service, said Capt. Addison Swink of the 186 Logistics Readiness Squadron, and Horton fits that perfectly
“Master Sgt. Horton leads with humility, purpose and commitment to others that reflects the very qualities Chief Benthall was known for,” Swink said.
Receiving the G.V. Sonny Montgomery Patriot Award is Senior Master Sgt. Richard Cavenaugh. Capt. Tyler Monk of the 248 Combat Airfield Operations Squadron, who presented the award, said much of what he has learned about being a leader has come from Cavenaugh.
“He has taught me so much about leadership and about how to treat people,” Monk said. “This guy will give you the shirt off his back.”
The Air and Space Force Association also recognizes Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics instructors by selecting a Teacher of the Year. Receiving this year’s award was Union High School’s Amanda Cassel.
Knight said he had a chance to visit Cassel’s AP Computer Science class, which she began three years ago, and was extremely impressed by what he saw. Students were not only learning how to work with computers, but also had to make decisions and be able to explain why they took the path they did.
“It wasn’t two plus two equals four or this is how you write a code. You had to be able to defend why you want it this way. The critical thinking is what this is all about. This is what the future is all about,” he said.
As her airmen are recognized, Col. Cynthia Smith, commanding officer for the 186th ARW, said other Meridian Guardsmen are representing the Magnolia State while supporting current military efforts. While not able to give specific details, Smith said members of the 186th ARW are deployed in support of Operation Epic Fury, against Iran, and were previously involved in Operation Midnight Hammer, a previous military initiative in June 2025 targeting Iranian nuclear sites.
The days of viewing the National Guard as a slow-moving, hard to mobilize support organization are gone, Smith said, and members of the 186th ARW must be mission ready at a moment’s notice.
“If you’ve studied history, there was a time when the Guard was considered just a flying club, not really taken seriously. It was a reserve, but it was a reserve that would take a long time to build up to where they needed to be to be used, and in a lot of cases sort of looked down upon by the active duty,” she said. “Boy has that changed.
“We maintain a level of readiness now, and I can speak to this, the response time that we have from the time I get the phone call to the time they need to be prepared to go out the door is no longer counted in months or weeks or days. It’s counted in hours.”
The guest speaker for Thursday’s meeting was State Sen. Jeff Tate, who represents parts of Lauderdale and Clarke counties. Tate is also chair of the Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, and spoke about legislation impacting the National Guard.
Earlier this year, the State Legislature passed Senate Bill 2018 which created a reimbursement for National Guard members for premiums paid for TriCare insurance. The bill was signed by Gov. Tate Reeves in March and has gone into effect.
Tate said that bill was the fourth piece of legislation taken up by the Senate as the body wanted to send a clear message that helping the Guard is a priority.
“That was a bill that we passed week one, and that was to show that that was our priority in the Senate,” he said.
Other initiatives taken by the Senate include a measure to curb claim sharks from scamming or taking advantage of veterans’ claims, legislation allowing local governments to contract with military installations for infrastructure projects, authorizing a study of ibogaine, which has been shown to help veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and more, Tate said.
While prior to taking over as committee chair, Tate said his proudest achievement in helping the Guard came through efforts securing a $20 million state appropriation to build a new fire and rescue station at Key Field. The earmark was by far the largest Lauderdale County has seen and was made to show the state’s commitment to the 186th ARW as it competed to house the next generation of tanker aircraft.
“The biggest thing that I love about my job is that it is my responsibility to find that veteran and get them with the VA to a phone number that actually works, to an individual that’s going to make sure that that benefit gets taken care of,” he said.