Washington, DC – An Indian American, Rajesh Patel was among the awardees as 26 employees were honored with the 2018 Spirit of Service Award during a ceremony at the Pentagon today (May 10).
As part of Public Service Recognition Week across the Defense Department, Patel was listed among the awardees from the Department of the Air Force.
The award recognizes national capital region Department of Defense (DoD) and service branch personnel for their outstanding performance during the previous year according to the DoD.
“You’re truly inspiring in the work you do and taught me the meaning of devotion,” Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan told the honorees. “You’re an example to all of us on the contributions we should be making.
Shanahan said the responsibilities of the awardees is remarkable. As he read through the contributions, he said, he was overwhelmed with emotions.
“It’s utterly amazing what you all do,” he said. “All of us have a debt of gratitude to pay toward these individuals.”
Michael L. Rhodes, director of administration for the department’s Office of the Chief Management Officer, said competition for the awards was tremendous due to the overwhelming talents of all nominees.
Rhodes thanked the honorees for their inspired service, stating they “display the core qualities of honor, integrity and excellence in everything they do.”
The Spirit of Service Award recipients are:
Office of the Secretary of Defense
Nathan D. Ainspan
Gary E. Carlberg
Pamela Clay
David T. Mayberry
Lisa S. Peterson
Barry Schultz
Department of the Army
Cheryl L. Arnold
John L. Ball
Stefanie S. Casey
Cynthia K. Fisher
William T. Hursh
Tami H. Kim
James C. Moughon
Bernice A. Parkhill
Department of the Navy
Ray Sutton
United States Marine Corps
Janice Hill
Samuel L. Bagwell
Jonathan A. York
Department of the Air Force
Rhonda Jenkins
Christian R. Paasch
Jason A. Stanley
James E. Taylor
Richard G. Tobasco
Beverly Miller
Jeremy Leader
Rajash Patel
Tejinder Singh, Editor, India America Today & White House Correspondent