442d Maintainers win Maintenance Effectiveness Award two years running

WHITEMAN AFB, Mo. -- The 455th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Bagram AB, Afghanistan has been awarded the 2015 Air Combat Command Maintenance Effectiveness Award, distinguishing the unit as the top-performing medium aircraft maintenance unit in ACC.

The award is for the unit's accomplishments during fiscal year 2015, stretching from 1 October 2014 to 30 September 2015. During part of that time, maintainers from the 442d Maintenance Group were deployed to Bagram in support of Operation Resolute Support, serving up operational jets to meet every sortie - without missing a single one.

The 442d's contribution to this award comes right on the heels of the 442d MXG winning the Air Force Reserve Command MEA in 2014, meaning the award has been won two years in a row in two different Major Commands.

"I would say the biggest contributor to our success is teamwork," said Col. James Brock, Commander of 442d MXG. "The teamwork that I have observed with the 358FS/442MXG is the best I've seen to date in my 32 years of military service."

"It isn't about the awards for us," said Tech Sgt. Cecil Brushwood, 442d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Specialist Flight. "It's about the mission. And that mission is getting troops out of the heat of battle as effectively as possible."

Whether at home station training, or on deployment, the maintainers of the 442d MXG have consistently shown their ability to do just that.

"This is a testament to the skill and consistency of our maintainers," said Col. Brian Borgen, Commander of the 442d Fighter Wing. "We count on them to get jets in the air every day, and they've shown time and again that nobody does it better. I am extremely proud of our entire maintenance organization."

The 455th EAMXS will go on to compete for the MEA at the Air Force level.