Vance Warrior of the Week -- Airman 1st Class Benjamin Ekblad Published April 3, 2009 VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Name: Airman 1st Class Benjamin Ekblad Duty: 71st Flying Training Wing Command Post Controller Hometown: Owatonna, Minn. Favorite PT Regimen: Racquetball Mission Contributions: Airman Ekblad went above and beyond what was expected of a volunteer at the Special Olympics. He offered his services by translating speeches given at the ceremony into sign language. This required a great deal of personal time and effort, as Airman Ekblad had to familiarize himself with the local procedures for sign language in this region, as well as learning how to sign a song in order to translate the National Anthem while it played. Airman Ekblad was able to provide instantaneous information to athletes and attendees at the ceremony who would have otherwise been excluded during the presentations.