56th EMS member receives AF Marquez Award Published March 9, 2007 By Carol O'Maley 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- One of Luke's own will fly to Washington May 1 to receive the 2006 Air Force Lieutenant General Leo Marquez Award for Munitions/Missile Maintenance. His photo for the awardwill be displayed in the Pentagon for a year. The prestigious Marquez Award winner is Master Sgt. Ramon Barajas, 56th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, Munitions Systems Section superintendent. Sergeant Barajas works with bombs and missiles -- requisitioning, building, inspecting, repairing, storing anddelivering them. He says his main duty is "providing safe and reliable munitions to the flightline, in order to train the greatest F-16 pilots in the world." He shares the credit for the Air Forcewide award, saying he couldn't have won it without the collaborative efforts of "Team Ammo." That team includes his supervisor Chief Master Sgt. John Miller, 56th EMS, Munitions Flight chief, who nominated him for the award, and all his co-workers in munitions and missile maintenance. "This award represents so much team effort," Sergeant Barajas said. "The work it represents couldn't possibly be achieved by just one person." Initially, Sergeant Barajas was nominated by Chief Miller for a Luke award recognizing his outstanding efforts in his flight, then for his squadron, group and wing, before garnering an award from Air Education and Training Command, and finally from the entire Air Force. Sergeant Barajas holds a master's degree in public administration and will soon receive a second M.B.A., both from Webster University. Chief Miller said Sergeant Barajas "represents everything an outstanding senior NCO and maintainer should be. He displays the energy of two people and his footprints are all over the maintenance group and wing. He was selected as the 56th MXG's senior NCO of the Year, due to his outstanding maintenance leadership."