Team Vance earns AF Outstanding Unit Award

71st FTW Public Affairs

12/5/2014 - VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Air Education and Training Command announced Nov. 26 that the 71st Flying Training Wing earned an Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for duties performed between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2014.

The 71st FTW was one of 12 AETC non-headquarters units selected for the award.

"Though I did not arrive here until June of this year, it was apparent from day one that I was working with an exceptional group of people," said Col. Clark Quinn, the 71st FTW commander. "The nomination form for an outstanding unit award has 93 lines. Every work center in the wing contributed to at least one of those lines, so the award is a reflection of the entire team's effort...and it's clearly well deserved. Congratulations, and thank you for your hard work."

The work performed throughout the two-year time frame includes many AETC best practices and AETC firsts.

For example, the 71st FTW Legal Office earned best 2013 Article 6 Inspection in the Air Force with four strengths lauded and two inspector general professional performers earning the best-ever result in AETC.

Another example of top performances included the 71st Security Forces Squadron Military Working Dog handlers who logged five presidential and vice presidential missions and had two TOP DOG graduates. The TOP DOG award is given to distinguished graduates from the SFS working dog technical school.

The 71st Medical Group had the number one laboratory in AETC with a 100 percent readiness rate. These Airmen processed 45,000 lab tests for 4,200 beneficiaries.

The 71st Operations Group produced 505 joint pilots while flying 107,000 sorties and 150,000 flying hours in three aircraft.

The 71st FTW Operations Support Squadron ensured 100 percent safe operations for the Air Force's fourth busiest air traffic control facility, monitoring 20 training routes with four memorandums of agreement covering 12,000 square miles of special-use airspace.

"These are only some of the outstanding achievements for Vance Airmen since July of 2012," said Quinn. "Every Airmen, Civilian, Contractor, Family Member and Enid Community Partner made earning this award possible."

The Air Force Outstanding Unit Award can be worn by Airmen permanently assigned to the 71st FTW from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2014.