Malmstrom teens earn Congressional Awards

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Dillon White
  • 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs Office
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Congressman Denny Rehberg presented Congressional Awards to the first-ever Malmstrom recipients April 9 in the 341st Missile Wing conference room. 

Derek Lair and Ashley Moore, both juniors at Charles M. Russell High School, received bronze and silver medals from the Congressional Award Program. Derek also earned a gold medal, and will receive it during a ceremony June 25 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. 

"It's an accomplishment deserving of a Congressional medal," Congressman Rehberg said. "News usually centers on sensational problems occurring in our communities, but we never get a chance to draw attention to something that is going very right. These are two individuals who epitomize what is good about America and the youth of America." 

The Congressional Award Program was established in 1979 to recognize youth, ages 13-and-a-half to 24, who achieve goals in volunteer public service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition and exploration. 

To earn a bronze medal, a total of 200 hours must be spent on the three goal areas during more than seven months of participation. A bronze medal recipient must also plan and execute an overnight exploration trip. Hours and duration increase incrementally for each medal, with a silver medal requiring 400 hours in 12 months and an exploration trip of three days. 

Derek will receive the gold medal for completing more than 800 hours. In the past two years, he dedicated his time to volunteering with the Special Olympics, teaching swimming lessons to local youth, and helping the Malmstrom Outdoor Recreation Program. 

He satisfied the personal development goal by completing more than 200 hours of cardiovascular-pulmonary resuscitation and first-aid training to earn his life guard certification. He also trained for more than 620 hours to increase his swimming abilities, which led to his victory in two state swimming titles -- the 100 freestyle and the 200 individual medley. 

"Some have trouble putting their face in the water, and getting the strokes and leg position correct," Derek said. "Definitely fun when you get toward the end of the lesson seeing them go from having to hold onto the side of the wall to swimming back and forth across the pool like 20 times. It's really fulfilling to see them get that far." 

The C.M. Russell athlete also spent five days hiking in the Bob Marshall wilderness area. 

After his senior year, he hopes to receive a scholarship for swimming and attend a military academy. He is looking at the United States Air Force Academy, or preferably, the United States Coast Guard Academy, he said. 

"I want to get in the Coast Guard because I like being around the water," Derek said.
Ashley spent more than 400 hours volunteering at the base youth center, completing tasks ranging from washing "a lot of dishes" and serving meals, to painting faces at Youth Center carnivals. 

"It was a great experience playing with the children," Ashley said. "It was rewarding to see them having fun, and I made some good friends at the youth center while I volunteered." 

Ashley also took weekly piano lessons, and ceramics and cake decorating classes. Ashley made Halloween cupcakes and a set of political cupcakes for her fellow staff members on the Charles M. Russell Stampede, the high school's newspaper, that even made local news, she said. Each had an effigy of the presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain. 

For her exploration requirement, she spent five days exploring Washington, D.C., and visited the Statue of Liberty. 

Ashley was also selected as the Malmstrom Youth of the Year in 2008 and 2009, and the Air Force Space Command Youth of the Year in 2008. She plans to attend college and earn a degree in fine arts and animation. 

There are currently eight Malmstrom teens and three Airmen enrolled in the Congressional Award Program. For information on how to enroll, contact the Malmstrom Youth Center at 731-4634.