AETC 'Outstanding Airman' nominees get unexpected bonus Published April 7, 2008 Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Two nominees for AETC's "Outstanding Airmen" honors got an extra surprise Friday: tickets to the hottest sports event in the country. Master Sgt. Ramon Conde and Senior Airman Melissa Meredith were each the lucky recipients of a pair of tickets to the NCAA semi-finals and finals, respectively. Sergeant Conde, of the 342nd Training Squadron at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, attended Saturday's Final Four matchups with his wife, Ashley. They watched as Kansas beat North Carolina and Memphis got past UCLA. Airman Meredith, of the 59th Laboratory Support Squadron at Wilford Hall Medical Center, and a guest will be in downtown San Antonio as the Kansas Jayhawks and Memphis Tigers face off for the national championship tonight. "I'm a fan of college sports," Airman Meredith said. "So I'm very excited and grateful to be going tonight," she said, adding that she's rooting for a Tiger victory. Twenty-seven of the command's top Airmen came to San Antonio last week for a week of festivities and activities leading up to Friday night's banquet -- where the 12 Outstanding Airmen were named. Nominees met senior leaders in the command, toured the area, and received briefings where they learned about current and future programs in the command and Air Force. "The entire set-up for AETC OAY program was outstanding," Sergeant Conde said. "We were given briefings which brought us up-to-date on recruiting, (the) assignment process, what's on the horizon for professional military education and for future educational opportunities." The four tickets were provided courtesy of CBS television, which distributed a limited number of tickets to each of its Final Four sponsors.