Sioux City, Iowa -- An award ceremony was held today for members of the 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City, Iowa for Honor Guard Airmen and Airmen completing their Community College of the Air Force Associate degrees.
16 Enlisted members received their Community College of the Air Force Associate degrees while 26 Honor Guard Airmen received awards.
According to Senior Master Sgt. Larry Carda, The Personnel Superintendent with the unit, a CCAF degree is worth 64 college credits and requires professional military training along with five general college courses.
“A two year degree is required for promotion to Senior Master Sgt. and Chief Master Sgt., while the CCAF is not required, it is definitely the easiest way to fulfill that requirement, said Carda. Additionally, most colleges will accept the 64 credits that students earn from their CCAF degree which ultimately saves them money when transferring to a Bachelor’s program.”
Carda also stated that on average it takes about three to four years for a brand new airman to complete the necessary military training and college courses for the CCAF.
The 185th Air Refueling Wing Base Honor Guard had 26 members awarded certificates of appreciation this weekend with nine receiving the Iowa Commendation Medal and three receiving the Iowa Meritorious Service Medal.
“Today’s ceremony recognizes participants from the last two fiscal years. In this timeframe, our Base Honor Guard performed a total of 69 details, said Master Sgt. Christine Groves, the 185th Base Services Manager. These details include parades, presentation of colors, History of the Flags, rendering Funeral Honors as well as several other types of details.”
According to Groves, recognizing Base Honor Guard participation is a great way to advertise the program to the rest of the base and maintains the morale for unit members. She also stated that the 185th Base Honor Guard is always looking for new airmen and that those interested can contact Tech. Sgt. Lindsay Johnson at 712-233-0347.