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185th ARW Member Awarded Outstanding Airmen of the Year for the Air National Guard

  • Published
  • By TSgt Jeremy J. McClure
  • 185th ARW
Sioux City, IA --  Sioux City, IA--- Senior Airmen Natalie Urquieta of the 185th Air Refueling Wing Medical Group has been selected as the Outstanding Airmen of the Year of the Air National Guard. Urquieta was selected for her dedicated service and outstanding leadership during her deployment to Afghanistan in 2009.

"I wasn't expecting a lot of recognition," Urquieta said. "I did what I had to do."

Urquieta was deployed to a medical facility in Baghram Afghanistan from January to July in 2009. During her time there, she worked 16 hour days in the Intermediate Care Ward. During medical emergencies though, she would help in the Emergency Room.

"We treated people from the Army, Marines, and Navy as well as civilians. Anyone that came in and needed help, we'd treat," said Uruieta when explaining her mission there. "I saw amputations and gunshot wounds."

Uruieta was in Washington DC during the week of June 16 to 18, 2010 for the ceremony. As part of the trip, her and her family were treated to a pre-ceremony formal reception and a guided tour of DC landmarks.