Service members, employers recognized during Armed Forces Week

By Tech. Sgt. Thomas Sobczyke

128th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

Two Wisconsin National Guard members were among five Richard Bong Award recipients honored at the Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) breakfast, held May 16 at the Wisconsin Club in downtown Milwaukee.

Master Sgt. Mike A. Schmaling, of New London, Wis., of the Wisconsin Air National Guard's 128th Air Refueling Wing, Milwaukee, and Sgt. 1st Class Richard P. Gerard, Franklin, of the Wisconsin Army National Guard's 132nd Army Band, Madison received awards alongside Staff Sgt. Edel A. Rojas, U.S. Air Force; Boatswain's Mate (Petty Officer) 1st Class Adam Kraft, U.S. Coast Guard; and Sgt. Ryan M. Lackey, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.

Hydro-Thermal Corporation, of Waukesha, Wis., was recognized at the breakfast for its support of service members.

Bong Award recipients are chosen by their commanders for outstanding service and dedication. The award commemorates Maj. Richard Bong, a Medal of Honor recipient born in Superior, Wis., in 1920 who remains the top American ace fighter pilot with 40 enemy aircraft destroyed in aerial combat.

The ESGR breakfast, organized by the Milwaukee Armed Forces Committee and the Wisconsin Committee for ESGR, kicks off Armed Forces Week in Milwaukee.