By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff

A 36th Civil Engineer Squadron airman at Andersen Air Force Base has received two of the highest honors the government of Guam can bestow, the 36th Wing’s public affairs office announced.
Staff Sgt. Ryan Ancheta, a structural craftsman with the squadron’s vertical repair shop, was honored with a resolution from the Legislature and the governor’s prestigious Guahan Award, according to Capt. Joel Stark of the public affairs office.
In honoring Ancheta, Speaker Mark Forbes, R-Sinajana, and Sen. Ray Tenorio, R-Yigo, cited the sergeant’s volunteer leadership in the community and his many contributions to the people of Guam.
Ancheta has been at Andersen Air Force Base for two years now, Stark said.
In winning the governor’s Guahan Award, Ancheta joins other previous notable recipients of the award including prominent business executives to the Navajo code talkers of World War II, whose efforts aided in the liberation of Guam.
Among Ancheta’s contributions were his participation in the annual coastal cleanup and his involvement in the Habitat for Humanity, which builds affordable housing for people in need.
He also helped clean kennels at the Guam Animals in Need Facility in Yigo and helped bring the USO back to Guam through construction efforts at the Royal Orchid Hotel.
The legislative resolution commending Ancheta also lauded the sergeant’s efforts on base, such as leading Cub Scouts and contributing to the 36th CES winning the Pacific Air Forces Outstanding Civil Engineer Unit in the small-unit category.
Ancheta, whose wife and daughter were present during the awarding ceremony, said he was “overwhelmed” by the honors bestowed upon him, adding that he felt good about his volunteer work because he “accomplished something for others.”
Seikichi Kaneshiro, the vertical repair shop chief at the base, has described Ancheta as one of the top performers he’s seen in his military and government career spanning 60 years.