Honor Awarded By The Kansas National Guard
Salina Airport Authority Executive Director Tim Rogers, A.A.E.
was awarded the first Kansas National Guard Patriot Medal, March
26, at the M.J. Kennedy Air Terminal
Building.
Kansas Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Tod M. Bunting presented
Rogers with the medal "for providing immeasurable support to the
Great Plains Joint Training Center and Kansas National Guard"
during a briefing with the chief of the National Guard Bureau, Gen.
Craig R. McKinley. "The airport is in a whole other dimension of
support," said Maj. Gen. Bunting during the briefing. "We
came up with a new award to recognize people who have been
incredible to us for a long time, and I'm talking well over a
decade not just a few months."
This marks the first time this award has ever been given by the
Kansas National Guard, and the chief of the National Guard Bureau,
Gen. Craig R. McKinley, along with other Guard VIPs and local
officials were there to witness it. "You go to other cities where
they don't have that kind of support and it's a whole different
ballgame," said Gen. McKinley.
A surprised Rogers called it "a distinct honor" for the airport
and the Salina community to be host to the National Guard and other
military units. "I'm deeply honored to have received the Kansas
Guard's Patriot Medal," said Rogers. "It is a privilege to be
of service to the men and women who are dedicated to the service of
their state and nation."
Great Plains Joint Training Center Deputy Commander, Lt. Col.
Jeffry Jordan said Rogers, being the first awarded the medal, has
set the standard extremely high for the future recipients. "I'm not
sure what else anyone could do to be awarded the second medal now,"
he explained. "He has set the bar so high and over the last
couple of decades really."
The Salina Airport Authority is actively involved in the Governor's
Military Affairs Council and works to facilitate military units
basing at the airport and training over the nearby weapons
range.
The award reads:
For distinguished service in duty
of great responsibility over a period of several years, Mr. Timothy
F. Rogers, Executive Director, Salina Airport Authority, is hereby
awarded the Kansas National Guard Patriot Medal for providing
immeasurable support to Great Plains Joint Training Center and the
Kansas National Guard. His persistent and exceptional efforts
have enabled the Kansas National Guard to expand its capabilities
in providing world class joint-use training opportunities for our
warfighters; setting the standard for community partnerships.
A visionary, his interaction with Kansas National Guard leadership
has facilitated the Salina Municipal Airport to function seamlessly
as a Forward Operating Location for Canadian and US military
personnel using the Great Plains Joint Training Center facilities
and ranges. Support initiatives implemented by Mr. Timothy
Rogers include the construction of a weapons storage area, hot arm
area and additional hangar which will positively influence the
Kansas National Guard and its capabilities long beyond his
tenure. The distinctive accomplishments of Mr. Timothy Rogers
reflect great credit upon himself as a true champion of the Kansas
National Guard and the State of Kansas.