71st CS receives AETC, Air Force award

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Amanda Savannah
  • Public Affairs
Vance Air Force Base, Okla. --  The 71st Communications Squadron recently sweetened a past success by claiming the 2005 Air Force-level Maintenance Effectiveness Award.
The squadron had also earned the Air Education and Training Command-level award for 2004 and 2005.
"It is hard to fully express how proud I am of the men and women of the 71st Communications Squadron," said Maj. David Snoddy, 71st CS commander. "2005 was an incredible year for us. We were named AETC's Lt. Gen. Harold W. Grant Award recipient for being the best small communications squadron in the command, and now we've received both the AETC and Air Force Maintenance Effectiveness Award in the communications-electronics small unit category. None of these awards would have been possible without the contributions of every member of the squadron."
Chief Master Sgt. Matt McNally and Staff Sgt. Peter Abernethy accompanied Major Snoddy to Washington, D.C., to receive the Air Force award.
Chief McNally was the squadron's chief of maintenance through the year and was instrumental in the unit's performance. He is now the 71st Mission Support Group superintendent.
"I get great personal satisfaction in seeing this outstanding squadron receive Air Force-level recognition," Chief McNally said. "The superb 2005 Air Force Flight Standards Agency Air Traffic Systems Evaluation results, the 'Outstanding' rating from the 2005 AETC Operational Readiness Inspection and finally the 2005 Air Force Maintenance Effectiveness Award are the results of a total team effort by every squadron member. This is the best communications maintenance flight I've seen in 28 years."
Sergeant Abernethy, a flight technician, was also a key player in the flight's success through the year.
Being able to personally accept the award with Major Snoddy and Chief McNally "was a great honor bestowed upon me by my supervisor and flight commander," Sergeant Abernethy said. "It was a good experience to meet fellow Airmen from across the Air Force and hear stories of their accomplishments."
Sergeant Abernethy also credits teamwork for the flight's success.
"I think the squadron performed well because of the leadership and the team members within the flight," he said. "The hard work and dedication of the entire flight ensured that all the projects were accomplished with quality in mind and completed on time. The future looks good because of the highly motivated people who are here now."
Some of the flight's accomplishments include erecting a new 100-foot antenna tower behind Bldg. 751 and installing uninterruptible power at the receiver site, positioning receiving and transmitting radios for the T-6 Texan II expansion, setting up a new portable homeland security radar system for the 71st Security Forces Squadron, installing a high-gain antenna to eliminate a blind spot on the south hammerhead runway, placing lightning protection at the tower, radar approach control and transmitter sites and completing installation and inspection of the new base Giant Voice system.