18th OG Airmen win PACAF awards Published March 20, 2012 18th Wing Public Affairs KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- Members of the 18th Operations Group were recently recognized by the Pacific Air Force commander for winning three annual awards for 2011. Members of the 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron's Deployed Crew One received the Airborne Air Battle Management Crew of the Year. Among their accomplishments was directing combat search and rescue of a downed helicopter crew as well as flying the last airborne warning and control flight in Iraq supporting the last ground convoy out of Iraq. Senior Airman John Busbee, also from the 961st AACS, won the Airborne Battle Management Systems Operator of the Year. Busbee detected all enemy aircraft during an exercise and was named defensive counter-air "Top Scope," earning him the award. Finally, Airman 1st Class Rachel Siegel, from the 623rd Air Control Flight, was awarded the Command and Control Battle Management Operator Airman of the Year award. Siegel's accomplishments range from providing air battle management for joint and allied assets in Pacific Air Command that supported 81 Air Force aircraft, to being named the "Top Tech" and "Top Command and Control" at the Kadena "Turkey Shoot" competition. She was also selected as the unit's Airman of the Quarter three times. "Airman 1st Class Siegel has continuously placed the Air Force first in everything she does. She accepts nothing but perfection as weapons director technician and as a key leader of the 623rd ACF training section," said Maj. Jeff Watts, ACF commander. "She has proven herself as a leader through early weapons director technician instructor and senior director technician positional upgrades."