News / Military
By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / May 20, 2016
PHOTO: Courtesy of Tampa Bay Defense Alliance
The Tampa Bay Defense Alliance is creating a new trophy to honor civilians who have given distinguished service and contributions to airmen. It will be presented in October.
Tampa Bay is well known throughout the military as a place that goes above and beyond in support of those who serve. And now the Tampa Bay Defense Alliance, a group of civic leaders dedicated to supporting MacDill Air Force Base and the military community here writ large, wants to share that love.
The organization is introducing a new award, called the Tampa Bay Trophy, “to honor a civilian for their distinguished service and contributions to our airmen,” said alliance president Lisa Monnet. “An individual will be recognized for going above and beyond the call of duty in support of the Air Mobility Mission.”
The goal, she said, “is to instill the same pride we have here in Tampa around the country.”
MacDill, with 16 KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling jets shared between the 6th Air Mobility Wing and the 927th Air Refueling Wing, reports to Air Mobility Command, based at Scott Air Force Base.
The award, according to Monnet, reflects actions taken between June 1, 2015, and May 30. It will be presented at the Airlift Tanker Association conference, which is Oct. 27-30 in Nashville, Tenn.
The deadline to submit nominations for the award is June 30 and so far, said Monnet, the alliance has received about two dozen nominations. The trophy is sponsored by the TBDA and administered jointly by the alliance and the Air Mobility Command office of public affairs. The alliance, which has created a judging panel, will have the final say on the winner and runner-up, Monnet said.
“The Tampa Bay Defense Alliance (TBDA) developed the Tampa Bay Trophy realizing that sometimes it’s a spark in an individual that mobilizes their surrounding community to support the Mobility and Air Force Mission,” Monnet said. “It is impossible to truly understand the depth of the sacrifices made by the airmen of Air Mobility Command.
“The Tampa Bay Trophy recognizes an individual who continually seek out ways to honor these servicemen.”
The trophy is currently being sculpted, said Monnet, who assumed the presidency of the alliance in December.
Whoever wins it, however, will receive a plaque while the trophy itself stays here in the Tampa area, said Monnet, founder and chief executive officers of Eye C Solutions, a Tampa firm providing customized solutions, products, and services to improve effectiveness and efficiencies in Authentication and Access Management, Health Information Technology, and Program Management to clients in both the commercial and defense industry.
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