An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | May 22, 2019

Ohio Airman is Air National Guard's Firefighter of the Year

By Tech. Sgt. Nic Kuetemeyer 121st Air Refueling Wing, Ohio Air National Guard

COLUMBUS, Ohio – U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Michael Ginikos, crew chief in the fire department at the 121st Air Refueling Wing, was presented with the 2018 Chief Albert Fitzpatrick Award for Air National Guard Firefighter of the Year on May 5 at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base.

“It really is an honor,” said Ginikos. “But I can’t take full credit for it. This award just shows that I’m doing what I’ve been trained to do. I’m hoping what I did embodies everything I’ve been taught over the years.”

Ginikos, a Westerville, Ohio, native, was chosen as the stand-out candidate from applicants nationwide.

“It’s a substantial accomplishment. To the best of my knowledge, we’ve never won it before,” said U.S Air Force Master Sgt. Joshua Gilman, the assistant chief of operations at the 121st fire department. “He went up against the best the nation had to offer. He is literally the cream of the crop.”

Enlisting in the Ohio Air National Guard almost eight years ago, Ginikos said it was only after he’d joined that he wanted to be a firefighter. He was lucky enough to get an open spot right out of basic military training.

Inspired by the sense of purpose he gained by joining the National Guard, Ginikos is in the process to join the Columbus Fire Department.

Ginikos was also nominated the Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year for Civil Engineering at the 121st ARW for 2018. Ginikos is an active member of his community, volunteering for Habitat for Humanity.

“I’m not just a firefighter these two days a month,” said Ginikos. “They want to see me giving back to the community on a daily basis, and that’s what I try to do. I always try to help with anything I can do.”

During the Westerville Fourth of July parade in 2018, Ginikos became a local hero when he saved a 2-year-old girl from choking to death. Ginikos humbly described the day with the tone of someone who wasn’t considering heroism or accolades, but as someone who was just doing his job.

“My wife and I were at the parade, and I noticed out of the corner of my eye, she was staring to her left. She grabbed my arm, and I saw a crowd. She didn’t have to say anything, I jumped up and ran over, seeing a bunch of people standing around a little kid. I asked the people what was going on, and I got down on the kid’s level. She had tears running down her face, but she wasn’t making any noise; no screaming, no breathing. The first person I saw said she’d been eating a Lifesaver and stopped breathing. I grabbed her and did ‘the Baby Heimlich’. I got the Lifesaver dislodged a little bit, and right as I did, she started crying and sucked it back in. After two and a half to three minutes of doing the Heimlich, I finally got it dislodged, and she started breathing and crying. Just as I got it dislodged, the Westerville Fire Department arrived and checked her out. She didn’t have to go to the hospital, but they said if it had gone on much longer she could have had brain damage.”

Ginikos was honored as a hero by the city of Westerville for saving the little girl’s life, but Ginikos continued in a matter-of-fact way.

“What I did was nothing anyone else here wouldn’t do,” Ginikos said. “Everybody here, if they were in the same shoes, would do the same thing. It’s in the firefighter's mentality. We’re here to help people. This award doesn’t come from one act that I did; I just try to embody the Core Values we were taught at basic training.”

“That full spectrum Airmen notion that we talk about, he does it,” said Gillman, Ginikos’ former direct supervisor at the 121st. “He really does it. The term ‘well-rounded’ implies that someone is good at some things, but not-so-good at other things. But Ginikos is well-rounded in that he does everything WELL. It’s pretty impressive. Some people have strengths and weaknesses, but Ginikos pretty much just has strengths.”

Gillman said that in addition to volunteering in his community, holding a full-time civilian career, fulfilling his drill duty at the 121st, that Ginikos also volunteers to go on any temporary duty assignment or deployment that he can.

Ginikos will officially accept his award for Firefighter of the Year in August of 2019, in Atlanta.

 

 

Related Articles
Photo of medical training during a Port Subject Matter Expert Exchange at the Port of Laem Chabang, Thailand, August 20, 2025. (Courtesy Photo)
Washington Guard Continues Strengthening Relationship at Thailand’s Port of Laem Chabang
By Joseph Siemandel, | Sept. 30, 2025
CAMP MURRAY, Wash. - Four members of the Washington National Guard partnered recently with more than 170 employees from the Port of Laem Chabang, Thailand, to continue improving the port’s all-hazard response as part of the...

Leaders and attendees from the Hawai‘i National Guard, Guam National Guard and Armed Forces of the Philippines gather for a group photo during the 25th anniversary celebration of the State Partnership Program between the Hawai‘i National Guard and the AFP at Clark Air Base, Philippines, Sept. 25, 2025. The Hawai‘i Guard and AFP launched the Indo-Pacific’s first State Partnership in 2000, marking 25 years of cooperation in training, disaster response and regional security.
25 Years Strong: Hawai‘i Guard and Philippines Celebrate Enduring Partnership
By Master Sgt. Mysti Bicoy, | Sept. 30, 2025
CLARK AIR BASE, Philippines — Cheers, handshakes and shared stories filled the air Sept. 23–25 as the Hawai‘i National Guard and Armed Forces of the Philippines celebrated 25 years of partnership — a bond that has endured...

Oklahoma National Guard leaders and Italian representatives unveil a plaque at the former headquarters of the 45th Infantry Division during WWII in Venafro, Italy, Sept. 8, 2025. A delegation of Oklahoma National Guard members and veterans toured key locations from the 45th Infantry Division’s campaign in Italy against German forces during World War II, continuing the development of the Thunderbird Trail. The initiative is aimed at preserving the Division's role in World War II through a memorial trail tracing its footsteps through Italy, France and Germany, ensuring their sacrifices are never forgotten. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Danielle Rayon)
Thunderbird Trail: Preserving Sacrifice, Strengthening Connection for Oklahoma Guard
By Sgt. Danielle Rayon, | Sept. 29, 2025
ITALY – Standing among rows of white marble headstones at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial, Soldiers of the Oklahoma National Guard bent to place sand from the beaches of Anzio into the carved names of...