CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
A Charleston Airman took two of the three C-17 awards at the latest graduation ceremony for the Air Force's advanced weapons and tactics school June 12.
Capt. Christopher Stephens, a pilot with the 16th Airlift Squadron, was selected out of eight C-17 officers as the Outstanding Graduate. This award is presented to the student who ranks No. 1 in the class. Selection criteria include flight performance, mission planning cell leadership, formal briefing skills and academic excellence. Captain Stephens also earned the Flying Award for outstanding performance in the execution portions of the C-17 weapons school sorties. Earning this award demonstrated Captain Stephens' excellence in the areas of in-flight leadership within a crew and throughout a formation, decision-making skills and situational awareness.
"I'm extremely proud of Captain Stephens," said his commander, Lt. Col. Christopher Mann. "His achievements are a testament to his hard work and the high level of excellence we've come to expect of all aviators in the 16th Airlift Squadron."
The U.S. Air Force Weapons School is headquartered at Nellis AFB, Nev. It consists of 17 squadrons teaching 22 combat specialties at eight Air Force bases. Each weapons squadron focuses on a different weapons system. These graduate-level courses produce experts who have learned the latest tactics, techniques and procedures involving their specific platforms. The C-17 school is at McGuire AFB, N.J., and its syllabus includes 98 courses, 350 academic hours, 17 exams and 24 sorties. In addition to C-17 tactics, the students also learn how to combine, incorporate and cooperate with other weapons systems.
"The weapons instructor course is probably the most challenging advanced school the Air Force has to offer," said Col. Joseph Mancy, 437th Operations Group commander. "We send our best pilots, and the school still has a 10 percent washout rate."
The graduates, now highly skilled experts, are also qualified instructors who return to their home units and teach their fellow Airmen.
Colonel Mancy said the graduates, "...become our best trained instructors and tacticians. They see the big picture -- they are experts knowing how to integrate the mobility air forces, combat air forces, combat search and rescue, and intelligence assets into the fight."
Of the 300 pilots at Charleston AFB, only eight are graduates from the course.