"Clean sweep"; 82 TRW, 80 FTW named AF Outstanding Units

  • Published
  • By George Woodward
  • 82d Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, TEXAS --  Sheppard is home to two of the eight wings honored with the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for the July 2010 to June 2012 period.

Both the 82nd Training Wing and the 80th Flying Training Wing earned the recognition, which is awarded by the Secretary of the Air Force to numbered units that have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service or outstanding achievement.

The 82nd's achievements during the award period include:
  • Training more than 62,000 Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and international students annually in more than 900 courses covering aircraft maintenance, civil engineering, logistics, communications and, through much of the award period, medical and dental
  • Earning an overall "Excellent" rating for the 2012 Air Education and Training Command Compliance Inspection, with three of the four groups and 11 of 17 squadrons also receiving "Excellent" ratings; the wing also earned an unprecedented 27 approved Air Force Best Practices
  • Executing the flawless relocation of Air Force medical training from Sheppard AFB to Fort Sam Houston, moving 157 courses without a single break in training
  • Standing up key new training missions, including F-35 maintenance training, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal preliminary course, the Remotely Piloted Aircraft maintenance pipeline and the Royal Saudi Air Force F-15SA program

"The distinction with which we executed our mission has been recognized at the highest level and it is a tribute to our hard work across the wing," 82nd Training Wing Commander Brig. Gen. Michael A. Fantini said in an e-mail message to wing members. "You can all take special pride in the accomplishments which made this selection possible."

Not to be outdone, the 80th Flying Training Wing amassed its own impressive list of accomplishments, including:
  • Delivering 328 trained combat pilots in support of the 13 the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program partner nations, plus an additional 246 Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals and 165 Pilot Instructor Training graduates
  • Operating the oldest trainer fleet at the highest utilization rate of any base in AETC, the outstanding coordination between maintenance and operations resulted in the execution of 137,000 flying hours and all ENJJPT classes graduating on time
  • Supervising the Air Force's busiest joint-use airfield in a non-combat zone, controlling 650,000 military and civilian flights over the award period
  • Garnering an overall "Excellent" rating for the 2012 AETC Compliance Inspection, with the Operations Group and all six flying squadrons also earning "Excellent" ratings; in addition, Flight Safety and T-6 Aircrew performance were rated "Outstanding"

"The men and women of the 80th should be extremely proud of this accomplishment," 80th Flying Training Wing Commander Col. Dieter Bareihs said. "It not only recognizes the great job we do in our core mission - training future combat pilots for the NATO Alliance - but it also demonstrates the importance of building relationships. We are a unique wing and could not perform at this level without strong cooperation between all of the 13 partner nations.

Airmen assigned to either wing during the award period are authorized to wear the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award ribbon.