CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
\Team Charleston, last week I attended the Air Mobility Command's 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year recognition week and banquet. It was an exciting time with lots of activities designed to recognize the AMC winners.
Three very bright individuals earned honors as AMC's winners in the Airman, NCO and Senior NCO categories. Now, they will go on to compete against other major command winners at the Air Force level. Selection as one of the Air Force's 12 Outstanding Airman of the Year is a prestigious honor. The week brought back memories for me when I was selected as Air Force Reserve Command's Senior NCO winner.
The 12 OAY program has an amazing history. It was originally intended to be a one-time convention event prompted by a military manpower crisis. The first recipients were awarded in 1956 at an Air Force Association dinner. That year, there were 19 outstanding Airman winners. However, the highest number of winners to be awarded in any one year was 24 Airmen.
Since it began, more than 700 winners have been selected, and in the 51 year history of the award, winners have been selected every year except 1965. Throughout the years, it has been such a popular event that it has evolved into the annual honor it is today.
Although created in 1968, the Outstanding Airman of the Year ribbon wasn't awarded until 1970. The ribbon is a lasting memento of this great accomplishment and it is the highest personal ribbon in the Air Force. All of the MAJCOM, field operating agency, and direct reporting unit winners receive the ribbon; however, the 12 OAY also receive the bronze star device as well. The 12 OAY are also authorized to wear the Outstanding Airman of the Year badge for one year. It was also in 1970, that the decision was made to limit the number of winners selected each year to 12. At that time, the winners were called the "Golden Dozen."
On another topic, for the second year in a row, I braved the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge to complete the infamous Cooper River Bridge 10K run this past Saturday. It is extremely exhilarating to be among the sea of people who either ran or walked from Mount Pleasant to downtown Charleston.
This race was first held in 1978 and the number of participants has grown larger and larger ever since. This year, there were more than 29,000 official participants in the race. Since 1993, the race has been dominated by the elite Kenyan runners. They have regularly taken home the prize purse. There were several other Charleston AFB members who ran and completed the race. I trust they had as much fun as I did. I look forward to next year's race; make plans now to join us.
Thanks to Airman 1st Class Mechelle Hudson, 437th Maintenance Squadron, for joining me this month as my shadow. Airman Hudson was one of our recent below-the-zone promotees. We had a very productive day as she got a brief glimpse of the day in the life of a command chief.
Team Charleston - Take the Fight to the Enemy!