613th AOC officer selected as PACAF's CGO of the Year

  • Published
  • By By Tech. Sgt. Kerry Jackson
  • 13th Air Force Public Affairs
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii --  Pacific Air Forces recently selected Capt. Raj Agrawal, from the 613th Air and Space Operations Center here, as the 2009 Pacific Air Forces Company Grade Officer of the Year.

Captain Agrawal, then 613th AOC chief of space operations and missile defense and now executive officer to the commander, was selected from more than 2,250 PACAF company grade officers based on his military performance, significant self improvement and service within his community. Captain Agrawal excelled in each category.

"Captain Agrawal is an exceptional officer who has a consistent track record of stellar performance both in the Air Force and in his community," said Gen. Gary North, the Pacific Air Forces commander. "He is the kind of officer any leader would be proud to have on his team, and we are certainly proud to have him on the PACAF team."

This is the second time Captain Agrawal has been selected as the CGO of the Year -- once at the combatant command level and now at the major command level. While serving as a space operations duty officer for the 614th Air and Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., the captain was selected as the 2007 U.S. Strategic Command Company Grade Officer of the Year.

As an Air Force weapons officer, Captain Agrawal established the 613 AOC's 24/7 missile warning cell supporting the Area Air Defense Commander as the Pacific theater's primary missile warning dissemination agent and synchronized the efforts of Army, Air Force, and Navy personnel in the defense of Hawaii against missile threats. He is the first and only Airman to pass the Army Air Defense Artillery's Fire Control Officer Certification Course and performed so well that the 32nd AAMDC at Fort Bliss, Texas, offered him deployments normally reserved for the Army's best ADAFCOs.

In 2009, Captain Agrawal was selected as a doctoral candidate, completed nine Ph.D. credits, aced his comprehensive exams, was selected as a Delta Mu Delta Honor Society member, and maintained a 4.0 grade point average. The captain is also the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Contemporary Service Worship Leader, where his direction helped usher in an increase in attendance from 100 to 250-plus each Sunday.

"Raj is -- no kidding -- miles ahead of his peers in his demonstration of the Air Force Core Values, his servant-leadership ethic, community service, and passion for self improvement," said Lt. Gen. Hawk Carlisle, the 13th Air Force commander. "His dedication to mission has paid huge dividends in Thirteenth Air Force and we are certainly proud of his accomplishments and happy to have him on the team."