We would like to congratulate our very own Tim Rowe for his Airman of the Year Award!
By MEGAN HUGHES
DULUTH, Minn. – Tim Rowe, an Ironwood native and 2018 graduate of A.D. Johnston High School in
Bessemer, was honored as “Airman of the Year” for the 148th Fighter Wing Air National Guard unit
located in Duluth, as well as the entire state of Minnesota.
“It was an honor, not everyone gets to win this award. I couldn’t have done it without all the
people in my life that helped me get there,” Rowe told the Globe Monday.
Rowe found out about the unit’s Airman of the Year award in Novem- ber, which brought interviews
earlier this month for the statewide award.
According to a release from the National Guard, Rowe was honored for his accomplishments as a
network systems operations journeyman in 2022. Rowe, who also holds an asso- ciate degree from
Gogebic Communi- ty College, is responsible for the installation, maintenance and trou- bleshooting
for both indoor and out- door information technology trans- port mediums including fiber optic cables.
During 2022, Rowe was deployed to Joint Base McGuire- Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, where he
provided sup- port to refugees evacuated from Afghanistan to the United States in a mission
titled Operation Allies
Welcome, according to the release, adding: “He effortlessly completed his five-level upgrade
training, scored a 100% on his fitness test and volunteered his time to coach youth sports.”
Rowe, enlisted in the Air National Guard in 2019.
“I enlisted in the Air National Guard because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after graduation
from GCC and military service, especially in the Guard is something important to me,” said Rowe.
“On my Mom’s side of the family, I am the fifth per- son in three generations to serve with the
148th Fighter Wing in Duluth, and I am the second family member to receive the award of Airman of the Year.”
Rowe was quick to point out that he was a member of a team and that his success should be shared
with all members of his team. He also mentioned with a smile that “recipients of the annual award
get a 90-minute flight in an F-16. It would be cool if we could fly over the Gogebic Range but wherever we go it will be some- thing that I remember for the rest of my life.”
Rowe trained at a base in Mississippi, where he learned the basics of computer networking for the
Air Force. After he completed his education at a tech school, he applied for work locally, and
now “does the same type of work for Community Mental Health as I do in my government job,” he said.
At CMH in Wakefield, Rowe works with I.T. (information technology) and computer tech support. He is
the son of David and Tracy Rowe of Ironwood. Rowe joins two other local natives who previously received the award, Jake Jakeway and Mark Jurakovich.