NFA grad named instructor of the year

Montville — Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ryan Tennyson is the Air Education and Training Command’s Non-Commissioned Officer Instructor of the Year for 2011.

Tennyson, who graduated from Norwich Free Academy in 1998, is the son of Bruce and Cindy Tennyson of Oakdale. He is in explosive ordnance disposal technician.

Assigned to the 366th Training Squadron Field Training Detachment 3 at Eglin Air Force Base, part of the 782nd Training Wing based at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, Tennyson earned the award for his work educating service members about improvised explosive devices at the Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal and for his time on deployment.

Tennyson, who has been at the school for nearly four years, deployed as part of Task Force Troy in Iraq in 2011 and acted as the single point of contact within the task force as liaison officer for IEDs. He is next headed to Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany and the 52nd Civil Engineering Squadron after he completes his tour as an instructor.