Peterson Airman named best program manager in the AF Published June 16, 2008 By Margie Arnold 21st Services Squadron PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Master Sgt. Steven Dodd was named Air Force 2007 Base Honor Guard Program Manager of the Year May 12. Sergeant Dodd is program manager for the High Frontier Honor Guard, which is based at Peterson and the Honor Guard supports 41 counties in Colorado and eight in western Kansas, encompassing an area of approximately 93,000 square miles and two national cemeteries. "I am greatly honored to receive this award, but I never won this award alone," Sergeant Dodd said. I owe everything to my great leadership, my Honor Guard team members, and, most importantly, to my Honor Guard staff - Senior Master Sgt. (Timothy) Martinez and Tech. Sgt. (Andrew) Fulbright. They alone are the reason why I received this award. My name's just on the plaque." Sergeant Dodd is a perfection-driven manager responsible for more than 68 members and has flawlessly executed 548 ceremonial details and 136 military funeral honors. He also assisted with the Honor Guard's move from an 880-square-foot temporary facility to a new state-of-the-art, 3,388-square-foot training complex, which includes an outside training courtyard, video monitors, a stand-alone weapons vault and mirrored walls. Sergeant Dodd, who has only been in the Honor Guard 10 months, said he was surprised to receive the award. Initially, he didn't want to go to the Honor Guard. He had been in the Air Force 18 years, and its luster had worn off. He was thinking of getting out when he was urged to join the Honor Guard. "When I met Senior Master Sgt. Tim Martinez there, he told me to just give it one day," Sergeant Dodd said. "After the first few minutes I was hooked. It's not just a job; it's a way of life. The first time I put on that Honor Guard uniform and looked at myself in the mirror, I got it. I knew I represented all those fallen heroes who came before me and all those who will follow." Sergeant Dodd will attend the Air Force Sergeant Association Convention in San Antonio, Texas, August 27, where Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Rodney J. McKinley will present the award to him.