WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio - When Tech. Sgt. Kailey DeLage heard the commander for Air Force Materiel Command tell her she was selected as one of the Air Force’s Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2026, she was stunned.
“I was shocked,” DeLage said. “All the candidates were phenomenal Airmen, and I truly believe we were all deserving of being selected.”
Hearing her name among the winners was unexpected, but for DeLage, the recognition represents far more than an individual accomplishment.
“It represents the responsibility that comes with being entrusted to lead, serve, and make a difference,” she said.
DeLage, a native of Manteca, California, is the Clinical Services Administration noncommissioned officer in charge at the 320th Correctional and Rehabilitation Squadron, Joint Base Lindsey Graham, Charleston, South Carolina. The squadron’s organizational chain runs through the Air Force Security Forces Center, which falls under the Air Force Installation Mission Support Center.
DeLage works in a mission that often operates behind the scenes. Her work supports the mental health clinic within the correctional facility, helping ensure service members receive the care, resources and support necessary to either return to honorable service or transition appropriately when continued service is no longer possible.
Her responsibilities include prisoner intake, records and database management, processing requests for clinical services, providing input on custody classifications, housing and job assignments, and re-entry and parole recommendations.
“The majority of my work happens behind the scenes but is the backbone to running a successful department,” DeLage said.
That behind-the-scenes work has a direct impact on Air Force readiness.
DeLage and her team help individuals navigate the correctional and rehabilitation process while supporting the broader needs of the force. For those who can return to service, the team helps provide a path toward reintegration. For those who cannot, they help facilitate a safe and effective transition into civilian life.
“Ultimately, our mission supports both the individual and the force as a whole,” she said. “We help people reintegrate into society or back into service, and we help ensure the Air Force remains a capable, disciplined, and ready organization.”
A journey that started with a Challenge
DeLage’s path to the Air Force was not something she had always envisioned.
In fact, it started with a little banter between her and her father.
After receiving military recruitment mail one day, DeLage jokingly told her father that he’d better be nice to her, or she was going to join the military and move away.
His response was sarcastic.
“Oh, how terrible that would be,” he told her. “You’d get free health insurance, have your school paid for, have a great career, and serve the country. How terrible would that be...”
That made her stop and think.
DeLage began researching the Air Force, and the more she learned, the more interested she became.
“I was not one of those people who grew up always knowing I would join the military, but I’m really glad I did,” she said.
She entered the Air Force in January 2017 without knowing exactly where the journey would take her, but she knew she wanted an opportunity to challenge herself and build a successful future.
More than a career, the Air Force became a journey of growth.
“I never could have imagined the experiences, opportunities, and people this path would bring into my life,” she said. “The Air Force has pushed me to grow as a leader, given me opportunities I never expected, and allowed me to serve in ways that have been incredibly meaningful.”
The people who shaped her
Looking back on her career, DeLage points to her first assignment as one of the most influential experiences in shaping the Airman and leader she would become.
At Flight Medicine, 673rd Aerospace Medicine Squadron, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, she found herself surrounded by a team that encouraged one another and wanted everyone to succeed.
“I started off my Air Force career with a great supervisor, an awesome flight, and very supportive leadership,” she said.
That environment instilled in her a strong work ethic and reinforced the importance of doing her best while helping those around her succeed.
As her career progressed, DeLage said she continued to encounter supportive leaders who challenged her, trusted her and helped shape her approach to leadership.
Those experiences influenced the qualities she now values most in a leader: positivity, empathy, accountability and consistency.
“People want to follow leaders who have positive attitudes, genuinely care about them, who are willing to listen, and who are willing to step in and help when things get difficult,” she said.
But positivity, she emphasized, cannot come at the expense of accountability.
“Effective leaders have to hold themselves and their teams accountable while always keeping the mission in focus.”
Growing beyond the job
DeLage's current assignment has challenged her professionally while also providing some of the most significant personal milestones of her life.
She has learned to work in a joint-service environment alongside members of the military's different branches and gained valuable experience working with mental health providers and technicians.
But when asked what accomplishment she is most proud of, her answer was not a professional award or accomplishment.
It was learning how to balance her career with her life outside of the Air Force.
During her current assignment, DeLage excelled professionally, served her local community, met her now-husband, planned her wedding, completed her bachelor's degree and began growing her family.
“It's been a lot,” she said. “But this has been a very rewarding assignment for me, both professionally and personally.”
That balance became even more meaningful as she received news of her Outstanding Airman of the Year selection — while also preparing to welcome her first child.
The accomplishment is one more milestone in a year DeLage describes as a period of stepping outside her comfort zone.
Recognition that followed service
DeLage believes what distinguished her service this year was not a pursuit of recognition, but a decision to challenge herself.
For several years, she focused much of her energy on elevating the people around her. She found fulfillment in helping teammates advance, succeed and receive recognition of their own.
This year, she continued that commitment while also pushing herself into new territory.
“I stepped up to fill higher leadership roles and dedicated my personal time to serving both my organization and the local community,” she said.
Her goal was never to earn an award. It was to become a better Airman, leader and teammate.
“My goal was not to seek recognition, but to push my capabilities to the next level,” she said. “I’ve been very blessed that the recognition naturally followed.”
For DeLage, the award is ultimately a reflection of the people who have been part of her journey.
“Leadership is never an individual accomplishment,” she said. “Everything I’ve been able to achieve has been made possible by the people who have trusted me, challenged me, and worked alongside me.”
She sees the award as a reminder that titles and accolades are temporary, while the impact leaders have on people and missions can endure long after they move on.
“It reminds me that the title or award may be temporary, but the impact we have on our people, our mission, and our organization can last well beyond our time in a specific position.”
That perspective is what she hopes to carry forward as she continues her Air Force journey.
She remains committed to the Air Force Core Values and to leaving every team, process and mission better than she found it.
“I’m proud to represent the Air Force Materiel Command and the United States Air Force,” DeLage said. “And I’m very thankful for the people who helped me earn that opportunity.”
And if there is one thing she hopes people will remember about her, it is simple:
“Life is so much more enjoyable when you strive to stay positive.”
For an Airman whose journey began with a joke about joining the military and moving away, that positive outlook has carried DeLage a long way — all the way to becoming one of the Air Force’s Outstanding Airmen of the Year.
The 2026 Outstanding Airmen of the Year will be honored at the Air and Space Forces Association Air, Space & Cyber Conference held Sept. 14 - 16 at National Harbor, Maryland.