Nominated by
Air Force Reserve Command

SSgt Omar Ali Abed is a Security Forces Craftsman with the 37th Security Forces Squadron at Lackland AFB, Texas.

He has been at the tip of the spear in the war against terrorism. Initially activated for homeland defense, he was the first to volunteer for overseas duty. He was the chief linguist in the movement of 250 violent Al Qaeda and Taliban detainees from Afghanistan to internment at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. His native Arabic was a key element in completion of the flawless six-flight airlift.

Airman Abed, 34, was born in San Antonio. He joined the Texas Air National Guard in 1988 and served at Kelly AFB, Texas before transferring to Air Force Reserve Security Forces in 1992 at Lackland AFB.

A mobilization assignment took him to Laughlin AFB, Texas, where as a patrolman he coordinated responses with the Border Patrol and Immigration and Naturalization Service in capturing illegal aliens. His fluency in Spanish enabled him to act as translator during numerous incidents.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from Wayland Baptist University and has begun work on a master’s degree in Human Services, specializing in fire science and criminal justice. He is certified as a first responder for hazardous materials, victim and witness rights and field sobriety testing.

He taught evening classes in mathematics, English, social science, reading and history. Other volunteer assignments include county probation officer, blood drives and disaster relief fund drives. He has helped build five homes with the Habitat for Humanity program.