LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
Langley's 1st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron brought home another "first" when the Department of Defense announced the unit as one the field-level winners of the 2007 Secretary of Defense Maintenance Award Nov. 15.
The awards, which are presented annually, "recognize outstanding achievements in military equipment and weapon systems maintenance," according to the DOD's Web site.
This year's awards were presented at the 2007 DOD Maintenance Symposium and Exhibition in Orlando, Fla., with several members of the 1st Fighter Wing in attendance, including the 1st AMXS commander.
"I am absolutely delighted that [the maintainers] were recognized for exactly what they've been doing out there - providing outstanding combat capability," said Lt. Col. Dane West, 1st AMXS commander.
Although a number of factors contributed to the win, Colonel West said there were several "huge" accomplishments that put the squadron on top, including the F-22 beddown, the creation and maintenance of the "super-squadron" of 54 F-15s in the 71st and the simultaneous deployment of all three squadrons.
The 1st AMXS also trained 98 percent of its Raptor maintainers in-house, integrated with the Air National Guard's 192nd Fighter Wing and was selected as the 2006 Air Combat Command Maintenance Effectiveness award winner for on-equipment maintenance, according to the award package.
With a long list of accomplishments, Colonel West summed up the win with a single statement:
"They have accomplished so much in such a short amount of time - these guys are great."