Contracting officer picked for 2011 Armed Forces team

Published May 25, 2011
By Susan Griggs
81st Training Wing Public Affairs

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- The Air Force claimed its sixth consecutive Armed Forces Basketball Championship last month, and Keesler's Onyenma "Dan" Nwaelele led the charge.

Soon he'll be packing his bags for a trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where the Conseil International du Sport Militaire world games are held July 12-25.

To prepare, he'll attend a training camp at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, June 27- July 11.

Nwaelele, 81st Contracting Squadron, has been on the Air Force team every year since his commissioning in 2007 except for last year when he was deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan. Each year that Nwaelele has played on the Air Force team, he's also been selected for the Armed Forces team.

The Armed Forces championship game at Camp Pendleton, Calif., was a real nailbiter, in which Air Force defeated Army 71-65 after coming back from a 34-24 halftime deficit. Air Force regained its momentum with Nwaelele's team-high 15 points. It was the second straight year the team defeated Army for the gold.

"To be a part of this is something special," said Nwaelele. "I like interacting with people from all over the world one week a year. I'm just proud to be a part of something big ...something special."

For more information about the Armed Forces Sports Program and CISM, log on to www.armedforcessports.com

Cpl. Damien Gutierrez, Camp Pendleton, Calif., and 1st Lt. Joost Verduyn, former Keesler Public Affairs deputy director now assigned to Eielson AFB, Alaska, contributed to this report.