Pictured: Lt. Col. Tom Carello presents Exceptional Service Award to Lt. Col. Ken Field for flying numerous missions in the aftermath of Super Storm Sandy.
Lt. Col. Steve Watson, commander of Mohawk-Griffiss Senior Squadron in Rome, receives Achievement Award from Lt. Col. John Jones. 
(Whitesboro, NY – May 22, 2013) A Civil Air Patrol pilot from Utica who flew missions in the aftermath of Super Storm Sandy was honored Sunday at the Central New York Group Banquet held at Harts Hill Inn in Whitesboro.
New York Wing Vice Commander Lt. Col. Tom Carello presented the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Exceptional Service Award and the CAP Disaster Relief Ribbon with “V” device to Lt. Col. Ken Field of Utica for “flying numerous photographic missions” for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), for the military and for other agencies.
After Super Storm Sandy ravaged the East Coast last fall, Carello noted, hundreds of CAP personnel volunteered an untold number of hours in disaster relief on the ground and in the air — especially aerial reconnaissance.
“The Civil Air Patrol took nearly 160,000 photos” for FEMA and other agencies, Carello noted. “New York Wing and Central New York Group were very active.”
Field is a former group commander and is safety officer for Mohawk-Griffiss Senior Squadron based at Griffiss Airpark in Rome.
Carello also presented the National Commander’s Commendation to Capt. Robert Stronach of Marcy for public affairs work in the wake of the storm.
Carello and Central NY Group Commander Lt. Col. John Jones presented two national lifesaving awards to 2nd Lt. Mark Swing of Jamesville, emergency services officer with Syracuse Cadet Squadron. One was for saving the life of a man having a heart attack at the New York State Fair last August. The other was for saving the life of a youth in respiratory distress at a cadet physical training activity in Syracuse this past March.
Other top honors went to:
— Capt. Robert Ormsbee of Lowville, commander of Fort Drum-Watertown Composite Squadron, who was named Senior Member of the Year.
— Cadet Chief Master Sergeant Lindsay Ladd of F.R. Sussey Composite Squadron in Fulton, who was named Cadet of the Year.
— Syracuse Cadet Squadron, commanded by Capt. Matt Mallory, which was named Squadron of the Year.
CAP Achievement Awards, for outstanding service as squadron commanders, went to:
— Lt. Col. Steve Watson of Fayetteville, Mohawk-Griffiss Senior Squadron in Rome.
— Maj. Joakim Hansson of Rome, Utica Cadet Squadron.
— Capt. Matt Mallory of Syracuse, Syracuse Cadet Squadron.
— Capt. Robert Ormsbee of Lowville, Fort Drum-Watertown Composite Squadron.
The CAP Achievement Award also went to 1st Lt. Robert Woodruff of North Syracuse for outstanding service as deputy commander of Syracuse Cadet Squadron.
Capt. Richard Lauricella of Syracuse received the Brewer Lifetime Achievement Award for his work as an aerospace education officer for Central New York Group and New York Wing.
Carello presented a certificate of retirement to Lt. Col. Jack Hosp of Barneveld for service to CAP from 1975 to 2013 as a pilot and flight instructor. Hosp also received citations from Congressman Richard Hanna and Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi.
Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager Aerospace Education Achievement Awards went to 2nd Lt. Mark Swing, 2nd Lt. Michelle Williams-Swing, and Senior Member John Jensen, all of Syracuse Cadet Squadron.
In recognition of special contributions, Central NY Group Challenge Coins were awarded to Cadet Senior Master Sgt. Jordan Sanner of Syracuse Cadet Squadron and Kelli Gabriele, parent of a Syracuse squadron cadet.
Central New York Group, with headquarters at Hancock Air National Guard Base, covers eight counties and oversees six squadrons. The Civil Air Patrol is the search-and-rescue, emergency services, aerospace education and cadet-mentoring auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force.