PACAF units win Outstanding Unit award

  • Published
  • By Jeff Nicolay
  • 15th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii --  The Pacific Air Forces commander announced last week that both 13th Air Force and the 15th Airlift Wing earned Air Force Outstanding Unit awards. The two were among six PACAF units so honored. The wing won the award in part for its many initiatives, including streamlining maintenance processes.

Members of both 13th Air Force and the 15th Airlift Wing have yet another reason to be proud of their respective units --  both were among a select group of six Pacific Air Force winners of the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for the second year in a row, according to the office of Gen. Carrol H. Chandler, PACAF commander.  

"I am both extremely honored and humbled by this award," said Col. JJ Torres, 15th Airlift Wing commander. "I am honored because I'm privileged to lead such a proud and truly deserving organization; I am humbled because this award has less to do with anything I have accomplished as the commander, but really represents the hard, dedicated work of our Wing Airmen -- both military and civilian -- who daily rise to the challenges of our modern day force."

PACAF sources said 13 AF won the award during the period of Oct. 6, 2006 through Oct. 31, 2007; 15 AW won for the period of Nov. 1, 2006 through Oct. 31, 2007. According to both Colonel Torres and Lt. Gen. Loyd "Chip" Utterback, 13th Air Force commander. 

All Airmen serving under their respective commands during these periods will qualify for the award ribbon. Qualifying Airmen will receive the ribbon after records have been updated and permission granted for them to wear it on their uniform. 

The decoration, which was created in 1954, is awarded as a ribbon to any command of the U.S. Air Force which performs exceptionally meritorious service, accomplishes specific acts of outstanding achievement, excels in combat operations against an armed enemy of the United States, or conducts with distinction military operations involving conflict with, or exposure to, a hostile action by any opposing foreign force. 

The 15th Airlift Wing was hailed for, among other things, devising a $16-million C-17 ramp expansion to increase aircraft parking by 30 percent and, in a PACAF first, completing a $5.6-million communications project to provide network backbone carrying real-time UAV video feed.  

For 13th Air Force, the Outstanding Unit award was presented for demonstrating the vast reach and flexibility of airpower and resourcefulness of Air Force personnel through their involvement in numerous real-world activities from disaster relief and humanitarian assistance to Joint Task Force - Support Forces Antarctica to the Global War on Terrorism, and to the development and execution of daily Air Tasking Orders for the entire Pacific theater. In addition, 13 AF successfully planned, executed and sourced 31 exercises that involved over 10,000 personnel .  

'I can't tell you how proud I am of our folks in 13th Air Force," said General Utterback. "Through our support group, our AFFOR staff and the AOC they demonstrate, every single day, the incredible reach and flexibility of U.S. airpower throughout the Pacific. You can sleep well at night knowing that our 13th Air Force team is ready 24/7/365 -- and you can take that to the bank." 

In addition, 13 AF scored high marks for spearheading the first ever PACAF-led bilateral air defense ops with continuous bomber presence assets/JASDF fighters and achieving a 100 percent success rate. 

In PACAF the other Outstanding Unit award winners were: 11th Air Force, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska; 8th Fighter Wing, Kunsan AB, South Korea; 18th Wing, Kadena AB, Japan; and  the 36th Wing, Anderson AFB, Guam.