Air Commando photographer earns AF-level awards

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Joe McFadden
  • 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  A photographer from Hurlburt Field recently received two Air Force-level awards for communication excellence.

Staff Sgt. Julianne Showalter received the Outstanding Communication Airman award as part of the Air Force Public Affairs Communication Excellence awards for 2010.

The Air Force Public Affairs Alumni Association also named Sergeant Showalter the recipient of their "Best of the Best" Award for being recognized as the person from any category (Airman, NCO, senior NCO, company grade officer, field grade officer, tactical level civilian, intermediate level civilian, and senior grade civilian) who best demonstrated professional excellence and contributed significantly to the effectiveness of the Air Force public affairs mission. 

"Looking at all the different career fields, I'm happy to have been considered," she said. "This is all because of the training that I've received, the people I've worked with and the mentoring I've received from my supervisors and different people in the military throughout my career."   

According to the awards announcement, Sergeant Showalter served as the sole combat photographer for more than 120 combat missions and documented her Provincial Reconstruction Team's story while on 87 convoy missions. She also managed her PRT's social media site and released more than 750 photos to an online audience of more than 20 million viewers.

"I'm very honored and proud to have been a part of that unit and given the opportunity to take the photos that I did," Sergeant Showalter said.

The Communication Excellence program recognizes top performers and programs, highlights the mission impact of public affairs professionals and encourages benchmarking of the most effective and innovative communication practices.

"These awards recognize high standards of excellence and hard work accomplished every day by communication professional across our Air Force," wrote Brig. Gen. Les Kodlick, Air Force Public Affairs director. "We also thank the supervisors and commanders who support, encourage and recognize these efforts."