Diane Mills named June Hometown Hero
During her keynote speech at the Cheboygan County Memorial Day ceremony May 30, retired United States Air Force Lt. Col. Diane Mills was surprised with a plaque, recognizing her as the June Hometown Hero.
Mills — originally from the Oxford, Michigan area — enlisted in the Air Force shortly after graduating high school and earning a two-year accounting degree. For seven years she worked as an air traffic controller in South Korea, the Philippines and the United States, during which she earned a bachelor of science degree in criminal law and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. She then became one of the first women to ever be assigned to a combat aircraft, as a member of the Airborne Warning and Surveillance Aircraft System.
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"Over the next 20 years, now Lt. Col. Mills has flown over 400 combat missions and logged over 4,000 hours providing tactical data to airborne fighters, naval vessels and strategic information to the National Command Authority," said Cheboygan County Sheriff and local veteran Dale Clarmont, who was emcee of the county's Memorial Day events.
Mills' last tour of duty was to serve at the Pentagon, where she was a Joint Command and Control Officer. She survived the attacks on the building during the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
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When she retired in 2003 from the Air Force after 27 years of service, she chose to move to Cheboygan and make it her permanent home.
After moving to the City of Cheboygan, Mills became very active in the community, joining the local American Legion Post, the Fraternal Order of Eagles and is a member of the Disabled American Veterans.
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She is active as a musician in her church, serves on her condo association's board of directors and is also currently serving as a Cheboygan City councilwoman.
The members of the Cheboygan County Veterans Subcommittee chose Mills to be the Hometown Hero of the Month and surprise her with the award after her keynote speech, as it would be a fitting honor for her service.
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"The veterans subcommittee unanimously voted you the Hometown Hero for June," said Cheboygan County Veterans Subcommittee member Pat Bolen.
Bolen said the award is given to a military service member, not only for their service to the United States, but also because they give back to the community when they return from duty.
Because of her continued service to the community and everything she has done, Clarmont also awarded Mills with his Coin of Excellence, a challenge coin specially given to honored members of the community.
Each month, the Cheboygan County Veterans Subcommittee collects nomination forms from the community for veterans who should receive the honor of being named Hometown Hero. The intent of the Hometown Heroes program is to show appreciation to local veterans for their service to the country, as well as continued service to the local community and having a positive impact on others.
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Members of the community can nominate a veteran to receive the award from the county's veterans services office and veterans subcommittee by filling out a form. These forms need to contain the veteran's name, their branch of service, what years they served in the military, and why the nominating person feels the person should be honored.
These forms can be picked up at the Cheboygan County Veterans Services office in room 122, on the lower level of the Cheboygan County Building. The form can also be found online at www.cheboygancounty.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Home-Town-Heroes-Nomination-Form-2.pdf.
Completed forms can then be returned by dropping them back off to the veterans office, or by mailing them to Hometown Heroes, Cheboygan County Veterans Service, 870 S. Main Street, Room 122, Cheboygan, MI, 49721.
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Each month, the veterans subcommittee reviews the nominating petitions and selects a veteran to honor. All other nominating forms are kept for consideration in future months. The awardees are then featured in the Cheboygan Daily Tribune, as well as on the county's veterans services website.
More information on the Hometown Heroes program, as well as a listing of past winners can be found on the Cheboygan County Veterans Services website at www.cheboygancounty.net/departments-services/veterans-services.
Contact Reporter Kortny Hahn at khahn1@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @khahnCDT.
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Diane Mills named Cheboygan County Hometown Hero of the Month for June
