Welcome to the Inaugural Heart of Ohio/Ashland, Ohio Our Community Salutes Ceremony

The Ashland Community is the Hallmark town of Ohio, charming, welcoming and very patriotic!

• The Honorable Mayor of Ashland, Matt Miller will lead the event  as our Master of Ceremony.
• The National Anthem will be sung by State Representative and former Miss Ohio Melanie Miller.
• Presenting the Oath of Enlistment is Keynote Speaker COL Darren E. Hamilton, United Stes Air Force NG. Col. Darren E. Hamilton is the Wing Commander of the 179th Cyberspace Wing (CW) in Mansfield, Ohio. The 179CW is comprised of approximately 1,000 personnel who will provide
  leading edge cyber outcomes to the joint fight. As the first
  cyberspace wing in the Air National Guard, the unit’s vision is to
  be the Joint Force’s first choice providing cyber warriors that inflict
  the nation’s will. Col. Hamilton has received multiple awards and Service Medals, including the Meritorious Service Medal, National Deense Service Medal; and Campaign medals for Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq and theGlobal War on Terrorism.
• Our Keynote Speaker is Captain (P) Jack Hughes, U.S. Army Congressional Fellow, currently serving in the Pentagon as a Congressional Budget Liaison.  CPT Hughes enlisted in the Army as an artilleryman when he was 18, following his graduation from high school. After attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant, he was selected to comission through the Active Duty Green to Gold.  He attended Cameron University where he majored in finance and earned a commission as an infantry officer and earned the title distinguished military graduate.  He served in numerous leadership and staff roles as an infantry officer and later as a military intelligence officer until he was selected to serve as an Army Congressional Fellow.  He then attended George Washington University, where he earnred a Master's in Legislative Affairs and later managed a number of legislative portfolios for Congressman John Carter from Texas.
• Repreenting Veterans is Ron Samnik, AUSA. Ron is a U.S. Army veteran, serving from December, 1969 through July 1971 in Viet Nam, initially with the1st Infantry Division (“The Big Red One”) before being stationed in Pirmasens Germany for the balance of his service. He is the current President of the Association of the United States Army Newton D. Baker Chapter, recently elected President of the Joint Veterans Council of Cuyahoga County (JVCCC), and has been an active member of the VFW, American Legion, and the Viet Nam Veterans of America. Positions held include Commander, Trustee, Quartermaster and Color Guard/Honor Guard Commander.Ron is also a seasoned, senior executive having held positions as a CFO, Strategic Planner, Management Consultant and Project Manager in both large industrial, not-for-profit, and entrepreneurial companies.   Ron is retired and lives in Mentor with his wife of 49 years, Janis.