Three Georgia Air Guard units Receive Top AF Awards

The top unit award in the Air Force may have found a permanent home among the nine Air National Guard units in Georgia.

The Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, the highest unit award presented by the Air Force recently has been awarded to three Georgia Air National Guard units, the 116th Air Control Wing at Robins Air Force Base, the 202nd Engineering Installation Squadron in Macon, and the 283rd Combat Communications Squadron at Dobbins ARB.

"We cannot recall another example of a single state being awarded three AFOUAs in one year, "said Maj. Gen Scott A. Hammond, Commander, GA ANG. "Being awarded a single AFOUA is a highly distinctive honor for a unit, but having three individual units in a single state honored at one time may be unprecedented."

The 116th Air Control Wing, the nation's only blended wing, was the recipient of its 13th AFOUA. No other Air National Guard unit in the nation has received this distinction on 13 occasions. The unit was presented its 13th AFOUA for the period of January 2005 through December 2006. The Robins-based Air Control Wing has been continuously deployed to the Southwest Asia since 2001 and is the only unit in the Air Force flying the sophisticated Joint STARS surveillance mission.

Macon's 202nd Engineering Installation Squadron was recognized for deploying communication installation and engineering teams to four countries in the Middle East in direct support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Additionally, the 202nd was recognized for its communications restoration projects on America's Gulf Coast following the ravages of Hurricane Katrina.

The 283rd Combat Communications Squadron was recognized for its support the 1st Air Force and US NORTHCOM's Deployable-Homeland and Air Cruise Missile Defense (D-HACMD) proof of concept in California. This exercise demonstrated a rapidly deployable air defense system designed to protect high profile national targets against cruise missiles and other low-flying threats. More than 20 percent deployed for operations in Southwest Asia establishing central communication hubs vital for command and control for combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The AFOUA recognizes these units as being the very best in the Air Force, and it's especially noteworthy that with the global and domestic challenges we face, Georgia Air Guard units are reaching the highest standards of operational readiness," continued Maj Gen Hammond.