With so many volunteering commitments on his plate, one might think John Thurber would get burned out.

Between grading papers in a fourth-grade classroom at Thompson Elementary in the Bethel School District, being active with the Lion's Club and giving his time to Multicare's Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, Thurber is a man about town.

But he always has time left for his Red Cross volunteer position in the pharmacy on McChord Field.

And the Air Force Reserve veteran's big heart hasn't been overlooked. Thurber was given the Red Cross' June Esche Volunteer of the Year Award during the organization's annual recognition luncheon March 8 at McChord Field.

"This feels great ... I wasn't expecting it," said Thurber, who served for 25 years as a chaplain's assistant with the 446th Airlift Wing. "I just go in and volunteer. The camaraderie (between pharmacy volunteers) is really great."

Thurber volunteers about 30 hours a month, and racked up more than 360 hours at the clinic last year, said Bob Jeffrey, the Red Cross volunteer coordinator at the McChord Clinic.

"His dedication to volunteering is really amazing," Jeffrey said.

The veteran's outgoing personality and solid work ethic has made him a favorite within the clinic, Jeffrey added.

When Red Cross officials needed someone to man the booth on a Saturday for Air Expo 2010, Thurber gladly volunteered.

"He's always showing up - even on a Saturday," Jeffrey said.

Thurber, a Spanaway resident who also worked in the civil sector for a number of years as well, started volunteering with the McChord Retiree Activities Office. He heard the clinic was looking for volunteers and decided to give it a try.

"When I retired from the Air Force Reserve I decided I wanted to stay active on the base," said Thurber, who also spent six years in the Army and retired as a master sergeant.  "When I was able to fully retire, I wanted to come back and be fully involved with McChord."

He's now been working in the clinic's pharmacy for six years.

"The interesting thing is I always run into people I was in the Air Force Reserve with," Thurber said. "It has been a really neat interaction."

The luncheon also acknowledged the more than 90 Red Cross volunteers that put in thousands of hours on both McChord Field and JBLM Main. Several volunteers were given pins for putting in more than 1,000 hours over a year and more than 4,000 hours in their career.

"We have some really dedicated people," said Marilyn Riddick, recognition chairman.