10 AETC awards for Keesler News

Published March 30, 2011
By 81st Training Wing Public Affairs

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- The Keesler News claimed 10 awards in Air Education and Training Command's 2010 media contest.

It's the most awards the Keesler News has ever won in a single year in at least 25 years, according to former editor Perry Jenifer.

Airman 1st Class Heather Heiney, who arrived at Keesler last August for her first Air Force assignment, was recognized as the command's outstanding new writer.

Her submission package included a commentary about quitting smoking, a feature about the 366th Training Squadron Detachment 6 at the Naval Construction Battalion in Gulfport, a story about Keesler's "excellent" rating in its Unit Compliance Inspection, a feature about three breast cancer survivors and an overview of the Keesler First Term Airman Center.

Her commentary about quitting smoking won second place in the commentary category and her photo and story package about the 366th TRS was the third place entry in the photojournalism category.

Steve Hoffmann, an employee of The Sun Herald who joined the Keesler News staff last May, is AETC's contract writer of the year.

His winning feature covered October's memorial march from Texas to Florida that honored fallen combat controllers.

Kemberly Groue, Keesler News photojournalist, won second place in the contract photography competition for the photo that accompanied Mr. Hoffmann's story. She's been a member of the Keesler News staff since 1998 and previously won seven AETC
awards and one Air Force award.

Susan Griggs, Keesler News editor, earned five awards. She won the news category with a story about the 81st Training Wing's change of command last August. She also won second place for a feature article about the struggles of a Keesler wounded warrior and second place for a sports story about Keesler members who helped launch youth wrestling in south Mississippi. She also placed second in the print journalist of the year category, which she won last year.

Ms. Griggs became the Keesler News editor nearly two years ago after 12½ years as a contract writer for the paper. She previously won 11 AETC awards and two Air Force awards for her writing and one AETC, one Air Force and one Defense Department Thomas Jefferson Award for contract photography.

Steve Pivnick and Ms. Griggs shared a first place award in the series category for a four-part series on Keesler's wounded warrior program.

Mr. Pivnick, the 81st Medical Group public affairs chief since 1999, came to Keesler 15 years ago. He joined the 81st Training Wing's public affairs staff after he retired as a senior master sergeant with 26 years of active duty in public affairs.