364th TRS Airman coined for ‘DUI Save of the Month’

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Tonnette Thompson
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  In his opinion, it's only people who perform dramatic acts of heroism - rescuing someone from a burning building, or bringing someone back from the brink of death with CPR - who deserve a visit from the base commander and the gift of a wing staff coin. 

So, Airman 1st Class Michael Mondia was surprised, to say the least, when 82nd Training Wing Commander Brig. Gen. Richard Devereaux appeared at the 364th Training Squadron's final formation recently to bestow a coin upon him for his "DUI Save of the Month." 

"He was at the podium, saying he wanted to recognize an Airman who did a good thing. Then when he told me to come forward I was thinking, 'You've gotta be kidding,'" a smiling Airman Mondia said. 

The act that garnered so much attention for the cable and antenna student happened on a weekend in June. Airman Mondia was out camping with several of his fellow Airmen-in-Training. He was awakened by a morning storm, one strong enough to blow over his fellow campers' tents. As he ran from tent to tent, waking people up and telling them to get to their cars, he found a few AiTs who were in no shape to drive. 

"They were pretty drunk and hungover," Airman Mondia recalled, "but I still had to get them out of there." 

Airman Mondia piled his inebriated classmates into a car, and drove the group back to Sheppard. 

The best aspect of receiving the coin, Airman Mondia said, is the example it sets for his 7-year-old son, Joey. 

"I want to be a strong role model for him," he said. "To be able to show him the coin and have him understand why I got it ... there are no words to describe how important that is."