162nd Wing alert detachment receives Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
By 2nd Lt. Lacey Roberts, 162nd Wing Public Affairs
/ Published February 03, 2016
TUCSON, Ariz. -- The Air Force Outstanding Unit Award has been awarded to the Arizona Air National Guard's 162nd Wing Aerospace Control Alert detachment located at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base for the period of Nov. 1, 2012 through Oct. 31, 2014.
The award is given to units that have distinguished themselves by outstanding achievement and distinctly standout among other Air National Guard units.
"This is a tremendous achievement for the Airmen at the Aerospace Control Alert Detachment," said Brig. Gen. Phil Purcell commander of the 162nd Wing. "The entire wing is proud of their mission and their success." said Purcell.
During a ceremony members of the detachment formed up in front of an F-16 Fighting Falcon as the citation was read aloud in recognition of the exceptional achievements of each Airman standing proudly at attention.
According to the citation, the detachment maintained a remarkable record of outstanding performance by flawlessly executing multiple missions which significantly contributed to the safety and security of our nation.
"The Airmen at the alert detachment consistently perform at the highest level, setting the standard for others to follow," said Purcell.
During the time period covered for the award the team took on the challenge of setting the standard for all ACA units by writing a chapter for Air Force Instruction 21-101, "Aircraft and Equipment Maintenance Management". The verbiage was adopted with only minor changes.
"There was a need for standardization and establishment of duties," said Chief Master Sgt. Larry Cruce the ACA Chief Enlisted Manager. "The implementation provided clear direction for all ACA's resulting in significant standardization throughout."
The citation also states that inspectors identified the alert team achieved the fastest F-16 scramble observed to date, outstanding intelligence support and zero maintenance discrepancies.
Cruce said each member of the alert detachment is proud of their contribution to the ACA mission and is dedicated to making their unit the best in the country.