MDAA Recognizes Korea’s First Line of Defense

On November 21, MDAA hosted the Third Annual Peninsula Missile Defenders of the Year Award Ceremony at Osan Air Base in South Korea. The event paid tribute to the men and women of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and U.S. Armed Forces who operate the air and missile defense systems on the Korean Peninsula.

These distinguished individuals operate some of the most technologically advanced equipment in U.S. and South Korean militaries, and provide the region with the first line of defense and deterrence against the threat posed by North Korea.

“By providing this defense,” said MDAA Chairman Riki Ellison in a statement, “these forces shape the will of North Korea to go to war.”

The winners of the Third Annual Peninsula Missile Defenders of the Year Awards are:

From the United States:

Major Thomas A. Garvin,  607th Air and Space Operations Center 

First Lieutenant Megan Parris, HHB/6-52, 35^th ADA BDE

Sergeant Andrew Coleman, E/6-52, 210 FA BDE, 2ID

Sergeant Joseph O’Bryant Huerta, HHB/6-52, 35^th ADA BDE 

Specialist Matthew Wilke, HHB/6-52, 35^th ADA BDE 

Private First Class Cristian Reyes, E/6-52, 210 FA BDE, 2ID

From the Republic of Korea:

Captain Jong-Joon Yoon,  Commanding Officer, ROKS Seo-ae Ryu Seong-ryong (DDG 993). 

First Lieutenant Jin Bum Jun,  551 Battery, 3^rd ROK BDE

First Lieutenant Ju Hyun Kim, 557th Battery, 199th BN, 2^nd BDE

Master Sergeant Won-Kyoung Jung, 3rd ADA BDE 553 FP  

Master Sergeant Chan Woo Lee, 558th Battery, 199th BN, 2^nd BDE

Master Sergeant Kiljoo Lee, 552nd Air Defense Missile Battery 

Master Sergeant Ki Hoon Park,  557^th Battery, 199^th BN, 2^nd BDE

In remarks, MDAA Chairman Riki Ellison said “these young men and women are the best of the best at what they do in the protection of millions of lives and the balance of regional power in one of the most volatile regions in the world.”

Participating in the event was U.S. Eighth Army Commander Lieutenant General Bernard S. Champoux; Commander of the ROK Air Defense Missile Command Major General Lee Yun Soo; Commander of the 3rd ROK Brigade, BG Choi; Commander of the 2nd ROK Brigade, BG Yoo; 94th U.S. AAMDC Commander, BG Eric Sanchez; Deputy Commander of the U.S. 7th Air Force, Brig Gen Russell Mack’ and RADM Lisa Franchetti , Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Korea.

About Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance

MDAA’s mission is to make the world safer by advocating for the development and deployment of missile defense systems to defend the United States, its armed forces and its allies against missile threats.We are a non-partisan membership-based and membership-funded organization that does not advocate on behalf of any specific system, technology, architecture or entity.