AFA Honors Colorado’s Top Airmen, Guardians, Cadets & Civilians with Banquet

AFA’s Lance P. Sijan Chapter hosted the AFA Colorado State Awards Banquet on August 15, 2026, and set the tone well in advance: “This is not intended to be a quiet event! Please cheer loudly for your nominees!” And that’s exactly what happened. The program opened with the announcement of the top three nominees in each military and civilian category as they entered the banquet hall to the sound of cheers and pounding on the tables. Corporate sponsors and senior military leadership came together to recognize the Active-duty, Guard, and Reserve Airmen, Junior Guardians, Cadets, and Civilians in Colorado units that continue to make our Air Force and Space Force the greatest in the world.

Senior military and community leaders got their first look at the future of the Air Force and Space Force: Cadets from the University of Colorado Boulder manned the check-in table, provided the national anthem, and honored the POW/MIA table. Those same cadets met and inspired the AF JROTC cadets who came to be the Honor Guard for the event. Chief Master Sgt. Gerald Morey, senior enlisted leader for Space Base Delta 41, who retires this year after 30 years of service, offered some words of advice to the young leaders in a speech.

For weeks prior, an awards committee made up of members from all Colorado chapters spent hours weighing a large stack of nominations from Peterson, Schriever, and Buckley Space Force Bases, the Air Force ROTC detachment, and the Air Force Academy. Their job was to pick the top three in each of 12 categories, from Airmen and Guardians to Cadets and Civilians Categories I and II. Those decisions led to the main event—recognition of all the nominees and announcement of the winners. Every nominee received a certificate and a state coin; each category winner also took home a beautifully carved wooden coin tray inscribed with their name and the title of the award.

The event also honored our many AFA volunteers for their hours of service and dedication to advocating, educating, and supporting Air Force and Space Force personnel and their families. Each Colorado chapter’s Teacher of the Year received a book of Medal of Honor quotes, personally autographed by recipient Drew Dix.

The evening culminated with the announcement of the Colorado AFA Member of the Year: Dave Geuting of the Lance P. Sijan Chapter. Geuring has rebuilt connections with leadership at the nearby Space Force bases and the Air Force Academy, opened doors with potential community partners, and revived local civic interest in AFA.

Colorado AFA marked AFA’s 80 Years of Air & Space Impact and carried on a chapter tradition of honoring the people who serve in the Air Force and Space Force.