Cop-shop top of the crop in AF

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jacob Corbin
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Some jobs are seemingly thankless, from teachers and waste-disposal personnel to cops and nurses.

Luckily though, the 82nd Security Forces Squadron received the accolades they deserve for keeping Sheppard safe when the unit was named the 2006 Outstanding Security Forces Unit, in the small unit category.

"I'm real proud of them," said Maj. Gregory Nowak, 82nd SFS commander. "They pour their hearts out everyday and it's nice to see them getting recognized for it."

While they may have won in the small unit category, their accomplishments are anything but small.

The 82nd SFS has, in addition to providing law enforcement services to Team Sheppard, won four annual security forces awards at the Air Education and Training Command level, more than any other AETC base, lead the wing in preparation for the Hotter 'N Hell Hundred last August, trained 1,158 Team Sheppard members in combat arms - only a handful of things among a full list of achievements in 2006.

"It's not only what you do on station," Major Nowak said, "but also what you down-range that makes a difference."

Sheppard security forces members continually return from deployment with awards and approval from their deployed units, Major Nowak said.

The training they receive while at Sheppard is intended to help them continue to excel while deployed.

"We definitely set everyone up for success," said Senior Airman Martin Madden, unit trainer and scheduler for the 82nd SFS.

Airman Madden added that even with short-notice deployments, sometimes with only a few days warning, returning 82nd SFS personnel never return with comments such as they "weren't ready" or they "were missing something."

"Our training section does a good job keeping us prepared," said Staff Sgt. Chad Vaughn, flight chief with the 82nd SFS.

In fact, a major part of the security forces career field is being ready for deployment and Sheppard is no exception, with nearly one third to one half of the shop gone at any given time.

With that much of their unit being deployed, or getting ready to deploy, the 82nd SFS relies heavily on the support of other units, including, but not limited to, the augmentee program.

"A lot of the things we did were with the support of other units," Major Nowak said. "No unit is an island.

"We received big kudos on our augmentee program," he added. "We couldn't survive without it."

While they may have won in the small unit category, it may have been that "smallness" that helped them perform so well.

"We're a close-knit unit," Sergeant Vaughn said. "I think that had a lot to do with it. We're family here, everyone knows everyone else."

The feeling of family felt by the 82nd SFS personnel is one other "larger" bases may have trouble knowing, while Sheppard has around 100 personnel, other units have upwards of 1,300 cops stationed at their base.