M/Sgt. Jay Sandwell retires from Air Force
Master Sergeant Jay A. Sandwell was honored Nov. 4 at a special ceremony marking his retirement from the United States Air Force (USAF) after 20 years of service.
The ceremony was held at Will Rogers World Airport, Oklahoma City, Okla. Jay's 17-year-old daughter, Jennifer, sang the opening National Anthem.
Jay received a shadow box containing flags, medals, and decorations.
Friends and family members who attended were his parents, Margie and Ken Sandwell, Tammy and Danny Snelling, Tristen and Seth, Rolana and Scott Heidebrecht, Taylor, Peyton, and Evan, and Kathy and Chris Meierhoff, all of Marion; Kathy and Kim Koop, Jenesa, Jessica, and Ben, Hillsboro; Ed and Mindy Svitak, Pilsen; Julie and Dave Sellmeyer, Oklahoma; and Bob and Lente Ouellette, Colorado.
Jay and Michelle and their children, Jennifer and 13-year-old Jeffrey, later hosted a barbecue supper in their backyard.
"As we were eating, a helicopter landed in the backyard, piloted by a previous Air Force co-worker. He took Jay for a ride and then ate supper with us," Margie said.
Jay is a 1985 graduate of Marion High School. After entering basic training later that year, he went on to navigational school and became a crew chief in air navigation.
In 1990-1991, he served in the United Arab Emirates, supporting the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing during Desert Storm.
At Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, he was selected as a member of a Combat Challenge team which won four competitions.
During the early 1990s, he deployed on several occasions to Central and South America, supporting various Department of Defense and counter-narcotics missions.
Following the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, he volunteered to support rescue and recovery operations.
In 1997, Jay became a certified flight inspection electronics technician for the Federal Aviation Administration, conducting inspections on navigational equipment at military and civil airports worldwide.
Since that time, he has participated in more than 130 combat and combat support missions and has accumulated 3,100 hours of flight time.
These high-profile support missions took him to North and South America, Europe, Southwest Asia, Africa, Asia, and Antarctica.
At the time of his retirement, he was the lead technician for the Air Force Flight Standards Agency, Detachment 1, Will Rogers Airport.
