Paxton receives AAM from the Missouri Army National Guard

Sgt. Christina Paxton (left) receives a trophy from Master Sgt. Rodney McKinney for her work with the Recruit Sustainment Program based in St. Joseph. For her accomplishments she was also awarded the Army Achievement Medal. (Photo by Jennifer Archdekin)

By Jennifer Archdekin
Ngmo.pao@US.ARMY.MIL

ST. JOSEPH - Missouri Army National Guardsman Sgt. Christina Paxton, of Maryville, was recently presented the Army Achievement Medal for her service with the Missouri Recruiting and Retention Battalion.

Staff Sgt. Michael Thomas, Recruit Sustainment Program coordinator in St. Joseph, nominated Paxton for the award.

"Sgt. Paxton was a valuable asset in our area, making our Recruit Sustainment Program the top site in Missouri," said Thomas. "Her dedication and hard work ensured that the Soldiers in our area were fully prepared for basic training and laid a concrete foundation for the rest of their military career. We firmly believe that this is not just a job, but it is instilling the knowledge and preparation in our future leaders."

Paxton was flattered to receive her first AAM award, but also recognized the hard work of her team's efforts.

"This award means that as a company we were very successful," said Paxton. "We all excelled at our jobs and worked as a team, so this award is not necessarily just for me, we all did it together."

Paxton has served four years with the Missouri Army National Guard and has worked as the assistant program coordinator for three years. She is a graduate of Belton High School in Belton.

For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please call 1-800-GoGuard or visit www.moguard.com.

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For more information about this release, please contact Jennifer Archdekin at 816-262-2893 or e-mail at jarchdekin@gmail.com.