STEWART AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.Y. -- The 105th Airlift Wing announced the 2025 Outstanding Airmen of the Year, honoring the top five enlisted members of the wing for their service and dedication to the mission. The winners are:
Airman of the Year: Airman 1st Class Tinatin Sadzaglishvili, 105th Base Defense Squadron
Noncommissioned Officer of the Year: Tech. Sgt. Ada Torres, 137th Airlift Squadron
Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year: Master Sgt. Justin Murphy, 105th Base Defense Group
First Sergeant of the Year: Master Sgt. Luis Murria, 105th Maintenance Squadron
Company Grade Officer of the Year: Capt. Albert Romano, 205th Base Defense Squadron
“These Airmen represent the very best of our Wing and set the standard for what it means to serve with distinction and pride,” said Chief Master Sgt. Joseph Cohan, 105th Airlift Wing command chief. “Their professionalism, resilience and commitment continue to make us a premier Airlift Wing ready to answer the nation’s call anytime, anywhere.”
To be awarded this title, Airmen are scored on several criteria. Executing the mission, leading people, managing resources and improving the unit are the four categories, each with sub criteria to set Airmen apart.
With an award package relating to the four categories Airmen will be scored on, units nominate their members and submit their award packages to their respective groups. Each group from the wing, including the 105th Base Defense Group, 105th Medical Group, 105th Maintenance Group, 105th Mission Support Group and the 105th Operations Group, selects their top Airmen for each category then sends their award packages to the wing to compete against the other group-level winners.
Finally, a review board consisting of senior enlisted leaders from across the wing score the award packages and host an in-person review of the nominees. The SELs sitting on this board selected the final five nominees to be awarded the title Outstanding Airman of the Year for 2025.
Each of the five winners from the 105th will now go on to compete at the New York Air National Guard level against the other wings from across New York. Then those winners, except those in the company grade officer of the year category, will go on to compete at the regional level.
This is an annual award that honors the top enlisted members of the 105th, as well as Airmen from across the National Guard Bureau. According to Cohan, the 105th’s winners demonstrated exceptional professionalism, technical expertise and unwavering dedication to the mission and Air Force Core Values.