MacDill airman earns high honor from Air Force

TAMPA (FOX 13) - TSgt. Toyre Hudson, based at MacDill Air Force Base, has made the most of every deployment.

"Whenever you go to a community or place, you want to leave that place better than you found it," said the 30-year-old.

At Guantanamo Bay, he volunteered to clean up areas around the camp. When he was deployed to Afghanistan, he helped collect coats for children who lived in the mountains.

Each year, the Air Force selects its 12 Outstanding Airmen.  In 2014, Hudson was one of the 12.

More good news came this year when he got a phone call from a general.

"I was in shock," Hudson recalled. 

General Carlton Everhart called to tell him he had been selected for a new program that allows deserving enlisted personnel to go to Officer Training School. It's a dream come true for Hudson, who grew up in a military family.

In early January, he'll leave for Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama for officer training. His wife Michelle and two children will join him when he is assigned to a base.

Hudson's dream found him as he was helping others.

"At the end of the day, I think that it's not about what you're getting out of it, but what you're helping other people achieve in their lives," he added.