Eglin captain selected as Sijan award winner

  • Published
  • By Leslie Brown
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The Air Force recently recognized an Eglin Airman with the service's 2008 Lance P. Sijan Air Force Leadership Award.

The Sijan award annually recognizes Airmen who demonstrate outstanding leadership abilities.

Capt. Thomas Eckel, 366th Training Squadron Detachment 3 deputy commander, was selected as the junior officer category winner.

"It is a tremendous honor to have been selected for this award," said Captain Eckel, who's assigned to the Naval Explosive Ordinance Disposal School here.

He felt humbled about receiving the award and said he wouldn't have received it without the support of those closest to him.

"It is a direct reflection of my family's continued support through three deployments in three years and the men and women within the Civil Engineering and Explosive Ordnance Disposal community that I work with on a daily basis both deployed and at home station," Captain Eckel said.

Captain Eckel's commander, Lt. Col. Thomas Bongiovi, 366th TRS commander, thinks he is more than deserving of the award.

"Tom deployed to Iraq as the Weapons Intelligence Team Operations Officer for a cutting-edge team that would recover and exploit evidence from improvised explosive devices," Colonel Bongiovi said. "By closely analyzing IED incidents, coalition teams discover the latest technology, tactics and procedures the terrorists are using."

Colonel Bongiovi commented about Captain Eckel's in-depth knowledge of the EOD community.

"He has a wealth of EOD experience. Before he commissioned, he was an enlisted EOD operator and an EOD instructor here," Colonel Bongiovi said. "Now with his knowledge from the war zone, he can teach the latest to our next generation of EOD technicians."

The Lance P. Sijan award was first given in 1981. It was named in honor of the first U.S. Air Force Academy graduate to receive the Medal of Honor. Captain Sijan was shot down over Vietnam on Nov. 9, 1967, and evaded capture for 45 days despite severe injuries. He later died while in a Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp and was presented the Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroism.

Captain Eckel will formally receive his award later this year.