National Guard commissioning ceremony at State House includes Soldier's Medal citation and multiple honors
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Summary
At the Massachusetts State House, Gov. Maura Healey administered oaths to newly commissioned National Guard officers; the ceremony presented a Soldier's Medal to Staff Sgt. Thomas A. Beebe for heroism during a shelter fire response and recognized marksmanship and Air Guard public affairs achievements.
Governor Maura Healey administered the officers’ oath and presided over a commissioning and awards ceremony for the Massachusetts National Guard at Memorial Hall in the State House.
Dozens of newly commissioned and ascended officers were recognized by name. The governor administered the oath affirming support for the Constitutions of the United States and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and obedience to the president and the governor as commanding authorities.
The ceremony presented the Soldier's Medal—the Army decoration for heroism not involving conflict—to Staff Sergeant Thomas A. Beebe. According to the citation read at the event, on Sept. 13, 2023, Staff Sgt. Beebe responded to a fire at the Red Roof Inn shelter in Sutton, evacuated civilians, reentered a smoke-filled room and assisted an on-site supervisor to safety. The citation said Beebe’s conduct reflected "great credit" upon him and the Massachusetts National Guard.
Officials also presented the Governor's 20 Award to the top pistol and rifle marksmen from the Adjutant General’s State Marksmanship Competition; recipients received pins, tabs and certificates signed by the governor and the adjutant general. Examples of named recipients included Sergeant Thomas Neil, Sergeant Connor King and Staff Sgt. Daniel Hill.
The Air National Guard recognized Technical Sergeant Matthew Neap as Air NCO of the Year for his armament-supervisor work at Barnes Air National Guard Base. The citation credited him with enabling pilot upgrades, restoring systems ahead of schedule and contributing to a $386,000,000 readiness upgrade.
Senior Airman Julia Ahacy was recognized for public affairs work that increased social media reach and produced base communications and podcasts that were amplified by the National Guard Bureau.
The ceremony closed with a ceremonial cake cutting involving the oldest and youngest currently serving guardsmen—Brigadier General Richard Cipro and Second Lieutenant Alexander Rankin—and instructions for a group photograph on the Grand Staircase before a reception in Nurses Hall.