Military Personnel Honored Chamber Of Commerce Names Military Persons Of The Year

Enlisted members of four units received honors Tuesday for their military proficiency and community service.

Named as the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce’s Military Persons of the Year were a refueling technician from the Air National Guard, a Naval Reserve medical technician, a maintenance specialist for the Air Force and a Marine gunnery sergeant.

Those honored were:

Staff Sgt. Molly Merwick of the Air Guard’s 116th Air Refueling Squadron, who has previously been named her unit’s noncommissioned officer of the year. She is active in the 4-H Club, the Association of Retarded Citizens and Catholic Charities, and volunteers with the Crisis Hot Line.

Senior Airman Robert H. Malosh, an inspector and repairman for Fairchild Air Force Base’s 92nd Refueling Wing, where he was named the airman of the year in 1994. He helps organize local blood drives and volunteers at the Deaconess Chemical Dependency Center, the Salvation Army and the Big Brothers Association.

Hospital Corpsman Chief Michael Lehman, the leading noncommissioned officer for the Naval Reserve’s fleet hospital detachment. He is a former nursing service corpsman of the month who is a member of Shriners, volunteers with the Special Olympics and the Valley Hospital Carnival of Safety, and coordinates an aid station for Bloomsday.

Gunnery Sgt. Cornelius Medley, an inspector and instructor for Battery A, 1st Battalion of the 4th Marines Division. He coordinates programs to reduce demand for illegal drugs, gives talks at junior high schools urging students to stay in school and off drugs and is active in several youth organizations.

The winners were chosen from among 19 nominees by a special panel for the chamber’s Armed Services Committee.