CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Jan. 8 will mark the opening chapter of the new 628th Logistics Readiness Squadron and the closing of the old and familiar 437th Logistics Readiness Squadron here at Charleston AFB.
This is an excellent year to end on, truly one for the history books. 2009 has been filled with exciting accomplishments for the squadron and it has been capped by a huge announcement: the 437 LRS is a finalist for the Daedalian Maj. Gen. Warren R. Carter Logistics Effectiveness Award -- once again, Charleston AFB has one of the top three logistics readiness squadrons in Air Mobility Command.
This specific award is a Daedalian trophy and was first awarded in 1963 to the Air Force unit at the base level selected by the Air Force Chief of Staff as having achieved the best supply effectiveness record in the Air Force in support of mission aircraft or weapons. In 2000, the award expanded to encompass all logistics support to include logistics plans, fuels, transportation and supply.
The Order of Daedalian Awards program was charted and established by General Carter and 34 other World War I pilots shortly after the war to perpetuate the spirit of patriotism, love of country, memories of the war and the high ideals of self-sacrifice which place service to the nation above personal safety and position.
This prestigious award is presented annually, among others, in the Order of Daedalian Awards program.
The 437 LRS has had a very busy year. The squadron is a huge part of Team Charleston, working hard to aid the most active C-17 wing in the Air Force in flying more than 3,000 sorties, transporting almost 6,000 passengers, and delivering 7,100 tons of cargo supporting two war fronts and more than 400,000 warfighters abroad. The squadron also orchestrated 23 aggregate missions, coordinating with 222 origins to support 3,000 passengers, 760 transportation runs and 300 weapons -- the Tanker Airlift Control Center acknowledged Charleston AFB as being "the busiest East Coast wing."
When the President of the United States had a short-notice mission, Team Charleston could handle it. This resulted in the Secretary of Defense lauding the deployment of 40 short tons and 42 passengers to U.S. African Command and U.S. Northern Command. Charleston AFB is also the sole C-17 wheel and tire supplier for the area of responsibility; with the cradle-to-grave process, Charleston repaired and moved 7,000 tires in fiscal year 2009, setting two Air Force records.
The 437 LRS has also worked closely with both the 437th Maintenance Squadron and the 437th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron to expedite the delivery of 1,400 mission-capable parts, which aided in 7,500 C-17 flight hours--earning Charleston AFB a total non-mission capable for supply rate of 3.6 percent, beating AMC's goal. That's not the only area where the 437 LRS partnered with 437 AMXS and 437 MXS -- the squadrons were handpicked for the Air Force eLog21 commercial, which demonstrates new advances in the supply enterprise to the whole Air Force via the Air Force Web site.
Within the squadron, the members of the 437 LRS have been just as full of activity. During the 2009 AMC Unit Compliance Inspection, the squadron brought home an "Excellent" rating, along with three Inspector General coins, six individual awards, five team awards and the statement that "LRS is first rate," by Col. Tom Freese, the UCI Team Chief. The UCI inspectors weren't the only ones impressed. The squadron was rated "Outstanding" by the Logistics Standardization and Evaluation Program inspection team--they praised 20 outstanding performers, which equates to 38 percent of the wing's total recognized personnel.
The Vehicle Operations Flight supported more than 12,000 requests, 45,000 passengers and 2,000 tons of cargo, earning them the 2008 AMC Vehicle Operations Flight of the Year. Not to be outdone, Vehicle Maintenance stepped up their game and performed 9,000 in-shop and 1,000 field repairs and maintained a 94 percent mission-capable rate ... all of which culminated in the winning of the 2008 AMC Vehicle Maintenance Flight of the Year.
With the catch phrase of "People taking care of people," the 437 LRS drove the train on the Voluntary Protection Program for Charleston AFB, hosting six events, three training courses, numerous squadron surveys, developing 329 safety leaders and a new atmosphere of personal safety at Charleston AFB.
Working hand-in-hand with VPP, the squadron stepped up their game for Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century this year. This led to the creation of the Smart Operations office, training 24 members and two facilitators who organized nine events. Those nine events saved the squadron $65,000 and 2,000 hours a year. The 437 LRS members accomplished all these things while still finding time to help the community, raising $12,000 for charities and donating 3,300 hours to 32 different events around the Lowcountry.
On top of everything else, the 437 LRS brought home awards for the Air Force Fuels Airman of the Year, the Senior NCO Academy John L. Levitow Award, the Logistics Readiness Officer Course Distinguished Graduate, the Honor Guard Member of the Year and 13 other group and wing-level awards.
With such an extensive resume like this one, the 437 LRS is hopeful to bring home the big one -- the Daedalian Maj. Gen. Warren R. Carter Logistics Effectiveness Award. Chosen or not, the year has certainly been one for the record book.