128th Air Refueling Wing Airmen of the Year 2022 – DVIDS

MILWAUKEE, WI. – The 128th Air Refueling Wing in Milwaukee, Wisc. recognized its Outstanding Airmen of the Year during an all-wing commanders call Jan. 7, 2023. Five winners were selected from nearly 900 airmen at the unit to receive the award for their accomplishments in 2022.

“We couldn’t be more proud of the airmen that worked to make this year’s mission possible,” said Col. Adria Zuccaro, Wing Commander of the 128th Air Refueling Wing. “Every year it seems to be more and more difficult to select the winners because each year the airmen continue to exceed our expectations.”

2022’s Outstanding Airman of the Year was awarded to Senior Airman William Buchholz, 128th Communications Flight. Buchholz successfully backfilled a Master Sgt. position as the unit’s wing information system security manager, ensured proper accountability for over five thousand classified electronic cryptographic transactions, and ensured the security of government assets by overseeing the destruction of over five hundred unclassified and classified hard drives.

2022’s Outstanding Noncommissioned Officer of the Year was awarded to Tech Sgt. Ronaldo Poserio, 128th Civil Engineer Squadron. Poserio led a team that resolved over three thousand work orders, saving $93 million in assets. Poserio also directed the special capabilities J7-Bravo team that constructed a new facility project, and reinforced taskforce LIBERTY security measures that over-sought the upkeep of perimeter security for Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey.

2022’s Outstanding Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year was awarded to Senior Master Sgt. Ryan Lawrence, 128th Communications Flight. Lawrence enhanced communication between 128 ARW’s Flight Group and Mission Support Group, driving decisions for over 14 wing-level installation projects. Lawrence also backfilled a communications-plans position, managing a six hundred thirty thousand dollar budget for base renovations, and ensured rigid adherence to security policies that produced a satisfactory rating on the 2022 Semi-Annual Communication Security Inspection.

2022 Outstanding First Sergeant of the Year was awarded to Wing First Sergeant Ryan Branz, 128th Headquarters. Branz commemorated 97 Honor Guard details, guided and supported the 128th Rising Six council as they increased their impact on base, and oversaw the planning and execution of the three-day 2022 Junior Enlisted Orientation Program.

2022 Outstanding Company Grade Officer of the Year was awarded to 2nd Lt. Ryan Peters, 128th Logistics Readiness Squadron. Peters ran the Logistics Planning work-center, helping over 260 service members deploy to 13 different countries. Peters also managed quarterly readiness reporting of the wing’s 16 units to the Wisconsin State Deputy Adjutant General and led efforts to assess and validate 57 tracked items during the 2022 Wing inspection.

The 128 ARW as a whole offloaded 8,318,500 pounds of fuel to over one thousand receivers, flew over 21,000 hours, and accounted for more than 28,600 total days deployed in 2022. The unit anticipates exceeding this year’s 16-exercise accomplishment in addition to continuing to expand its community engagement.