WITH THE MILITARY
USAF Senior Airman Christopher Strong, son of John Strong, Maple Grove, formerly of Brainerd, and grandson of Lans and Vicki Hamilton, Deerwood, currenlty deployed in Kirkuk, Iraq, as a command post controller, recently received the 2004 award of Airman of the Year for the ACCDOX division of Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Va.
Strong has a year-long record of superior performances in his primary duty and has made significant contributions outside the confines of the base. He also recived the 2003 award.
Marine Corps Cpl. Brian D. Oberschmid, son of Connie Cockriel-Collison, Nisswa, and David Oberschmid. Spooner, Wis., and more than 2,100 Marines and Sailors assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), recently joined Iraqi Security Forces to provide security for elections in Najaf, Iraq.
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew P. Willard, a 1999 graduate of Brainerd High School, is currently in the middle of a routine scheduled deployment, while assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, homeported in Norfolk, Va.
Marine Corps Pfc. Dexter A. Thompson, son of Monica L. Thompson, Lake Shore, and Dennis T. Thompson, White Bear Lake, recently graduated from the Marine Corps' Basic Refrigeration Mechanic Course.
Daniel Lowe, Tulsa, Okla., son of Jeanette Lowe, Brainerd, and the late Gilbert Lowe, recently visited relatives in Brainerd after returning from duty in Afghanistan. He recently retired from the United States Army and is currently working for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad in Tulsa, Okla.