Air National Guard to honor GWOT members, families Published April 27, 2009 By Senior Airman Jennifer M. Adriano 139th Public Affairs 4 April, 2009 -- Air National Guardsmen who deployed in support of the Global War on Terror from Sept. 11, 2001, to Dec. 31, 2008, and their families will be honored for their sacrifice. Awards will be processed in a two-phase campaign, and then presented at the wing level at a formal ceremony. "This is a catch up period for the program," said Chief Master Sgt. William "Bill" Phillips, State Command Chief and Missouri program point of contact. More than 800 awards have been written and submitted for active, retired and transferring Guard members who have served 30-179 consecutive days in support of state side or overseas contingency operations during this time period. Mementos will be awarded for the following lengths of service: · Framed Letter of Appreciation signed by the Director of the Air National Guard and the Command Chief Master Sgt. (30-179 days) · Framed American Flag with Hometown Heroes Salute Coin. (180 - 365 consecutive days) · Eagle Statue (366+ consecutive days) While military members can receive all three awards, family and Center of Influence awards are currently scheduled to be given just once in a career. Those receiving the Spouse/Significant Others award will receive a HHS logo engraved Rosewood Pen & Pencil set. "The number of dependents was pulled from MiL PDS," said Master Sgt. Jill Berg, 139 FSS/FSM and local POC. "This number may not reflect the current number of a member's children." For this reason, members who were deployed in this time frame have been asked to verify the number of children they wish to receive the HHS logo dog tags. "We want to say 'Thank You' to all of our deployed members, their families and those who supported them while deployed for the Global War on Terror," said Phillips. Recipients of Center of Influence awards will receive HHS logo medallions. Members and their loved ones can expect to receive the first tier awards between April and December 2009. Tier Two and Tier Three awards will begin this year and be fully implemented by January 2010. The Hometown Heroes Salute (https://airguard.ang.af.mil/HometownHeroesSalute/Default) is an evolving National Guard Bureau funded recognition program. Local POCs for this program are Chief Master Sgt. Scott Duncan, 139 FSS/CC x3304 and Master Sgt. Jill Berg x3393.