Military members honored for service to community
A Spokane airman was among five members of the military honored at the 97th annual American Legion Department of Washington State convention Friday.
This is the third year the group has awarded someone from each branch of the military in Washington a Spirit of Service Award based on their service to the community.
Airman 1st Class Ariana Cunningham serves with the 92nd Medical Group as a dental assistant apprentice at Fairchild Air Force Base. In the past year she has worked over 300 hours at various events. She has volunteered several times with Second Harvest, helped organize and distribute donations at Goodwill and walked and groomed dogs at the Spokane Humane Society, according to an American Legion news release. She also helped organize a local National Down Syndrome Alliance event, helped build a home with Habitat for Humanity and volunteered to be a designated driver for her fellow airmen.
Other award recipients are U.S. Army Sgt. Blogoy A. Pogoncheff at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Christian Orozco at Naval Base Kitsap Bangor, U.S. Navy Petty Officer Christopher B. Neeper of the USS Nebraska, and U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Trevor J. Sly of Air Station Port Angeles.
Pogoncheff is a Special Olympics parent volunteer, a youth sports coach and a Cub Scout den leader. Orozco’s community service includes volunteering with Honor Flight and Habitat for Humanity, according to the news release. While stationed in Australia he tutored dozens of children and while serving in Japan he taught English to local residents and helped organize numerous USO events.
Neeper has been active with Habitat for Humanity, the Salvation Army, the Ronald McDonald House, the Northwest Washington Wrestling Club and the Kitsap County School District, the American Legion said. Sly has helped provide aviation firefighting training to local firefighters and worked with Clallam County and Olympic National Park to standardize multiagency search and rescue procedures.