Armed forces personnel receive honor

A soldier, a sailor, an airman and a Marine were named armed forces persons of the year by a local business group.

Winners of the annual competition – the 53rd by Greater Spokane Incorporated or its predecessor, the Chamber of Commerce – were announced Tuesday at a luncheon that featured former astronaut Bonnie Dunbar, the head of the Museum of Flight in Seattle.

Competition is divided between active duty and reservists or National Guard members, and between senior and junior enlisted personnel.

Named as this year’s winners were:

Junior enlisted reservist: Cpl. Dustin Duvanich of Battery P, 5th Battalion of the Marine Reserves in Spokane. Duvanich is the unit’s wire communications chief, responsible for its gear, as well as the leadership, training and development of the unit’s Marines.

Junior enlisted active duty: Petty Officer 2nd Class Amanda Munson, a Navy recruiter stationed in Hayden with responsibilities in North Idaho and Eastern Washington. Since taking the position a year ago, Munson has recruited sailors at twice the national average while serving as the zone’s training officer.

Senior enlisted reservist: Senior Master Sgt. Stephen Coulston, Security Logistics Section of the Washington Air National Guard’s 141st Air Refueling Wing. Coulston is working on a degree in criminal justice and supervision and completed anti-terrorism training and the Senior NCO Academy. He is also a trained mountain rescue instructor and a volunteer ski patrolman at 49 Degrees North.

Senior enlisted active duty: Sgt. 1st Class Zane Sheets of the Military Entrance Processing Command in Spokane. Trained as an Army Ranger, field medic and flight medic, Sheets for the past three years has been the top NCO, or noncommissioned officer, at the processing station, which is responsible for medical examinations of more than 3,500 enlistees each year.