373rd TRS earns Gen. William Looney award

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Valerie Hosea
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The 373rd Training Squadron was recently awarded the Gen. William Looney III Training Squadron of the Year trophy for 2009. The trophy recognizes the best squadron in the Air Education and Training Command.

This is the first time the 373rd TRS received the award at the AETC level. However, the squadron had won the award at the wing level in 2007 and 2009.

"I can't be more proud of the 485-AETC professionals in this squadron," said Lt. Col. Henry Myers, 373rd TRS commander. "Our guys are getting recognized for doing an outstanding job on the day-to-day support mission of 18 bases. I'm proud that their efforts can be recognized in this manner."

The squadron was lauded for their outstanding contributions, enhancing impacts to the technical training mission, unit improvement and base community support.

According to the nomination package, the 485-member squadron is spread across 20 geographic locations, teaching more than 290 courses which produce more than 14,000 graduates a year.

The 373rd TRS also made Air Force history as the first field training squadron with the conversion of combat communication training into the AETC spectrum.

The squadron secured 17 manpower positions and $115,000 in funding, generating full training capabilities for two bases to directly support an additional 1,400 war fighters for Afghanistan and Iraq operations.

"Flexibility is the squadron's strong point," the commander said. "We have the ability to take on whatever's thrown our way; to include the international training, the recent endeavor of converting combat command training into AETC and our efforts in Chile as to transition from support training to a relief mission. It's been an honor to their commander over the past 2½ years."