AFRC recognizes excellence of 442d Fighter Wing Maintainers

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Emily Alley
  • 442d Fighter Wing
WHITEMAN AFB, Mo. --  The 442d Fighter Wing Maintenance Squadron received the 2014 Maintenance Effectiveness Award nomination from Air Force Reserve Command.

The wing will go on to compete against winners from other Major Commands for the Air Force-wide award.

Maj. Daniel Posch, Maintenance Squadron Commander, said that the award was the result of ongoing work by the organization, and he expects to continue their hard work.

"Just because we've reached this pinnacle doesn't mean we can stop assessing and improving," said Posch. "In the new age of compliance and inspection that's what's important."

The Maintenance Effectiveness Award recognizes resource management, both personnel and equipment, as well as innovation and mission accomplishments. For example, the Maintenance Group lowered their incidence of recurring issues to less than two percent, which significantly beats the standard.

"It speaks to the quality of our maintainers," said Posch. "Accolades continue to come in from the desert," he added, referring to the squadron's most recent deployment to Bagram, Afghanistan. "We had an exceptional quality assurance pass rate during the deployment. And we didn't miss a single sortie."

In addition to the challenges of deployment, the maintainers also balanced an aircraft modification schedule that upgraded their fleet of A-10s.

"This award is a reaffirmation of the talent in our wing," said Col. Hubie Hegtvedt, Commander of the 442d Fighter Wing. "Our Airmen overcame many challenges in the past year and it's meaningful to see their work recognized by larger the command."