Photo By Capt. Kealy Moriarty | The Air Force Meritorious Unit Award (Image courtesy of Air Force’s Personnel Center)... read more read more
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – It has been a historic and busy few years for the Tennessee Air National Guard, and recently, four units have been commended for their professional performance.
Nashville’s 118th Wing, Memphis’164th Airlift Wing, and Chattanooga’s 241st Engineering Installation Squadron each received the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for missions they accomplished during 2019 and 2020.
To earn an Outstanding Unit Award, each Wing and Squadron had to distinguish itself through “exceptionally meritorious service or outstanding achievement that clearly sets the unit above and apart from similar units.”
The 134th Air Refueling Wing in Knoxville earned the Meritorious Unit Award for their efforts in 2020. According to the U.S. Air Force, the award is presented to units that “demonstrate exceptionally meritorious conduct in direct support of combat operations.”
Each of these four Tennessee units are proud to be recognized for their hard work.
“It’s a great accomplishment and one for the history books of the Tennessee Air National Guard,” said Col. Jason Glass, Tennessee’s Assistant Adjutant General, Air. “When every wing in the state is firing on all cylinders well enough to receive these prestigious awards; it’s a mere glimpse into the dedication, the outstanding competence, and ability of Tennessee’s Airmen and their leadership.”
The 118th Wing, located at Berry Field Air National Guard Base, earned the award for deploying nearly 560 Airmen throughout the globe while simultaneously conducting operations in Nashville. The unit supported operations in 10 foreign countries, which included several presidential directed missions against violent extremist organizations. In response to tornadoes, civil unrest, and the global pandemic in Tennessee, the 118th provided geospatial imagery of tornado damaged areas and activated more than 220 members to assist with civil unrest and help fight COVID-19.
The 164th Airlift Wing, based at Memphis International Airport, was cited by the Air Force for providing airlift capabilities and personnel to support overseas missions and emergency relief. The unit delivered more than 24 million pounds of cargo and 13,900 passengers while flying over 5,000 hours without a single mishap.
For the COVID-19 response, the 164th airlifted 543,000 pounds of test kits and aided in the vaccination of more than 20,000 people during the last two weeks of 2020. The unit also deployed to the National Science Foundation in Antarctica to perform hazardous materials inspections.
Chattanooga’s 241st Engineering Installation Squadron was honored for conducting 27 peacetime communications projects and delivering critical cyberspace capabilities to nine wings. Unit members were also vital to the success of the White House Communication Agency technology modernization.
Following Hurricane Michael in late 2018, the 241st enabled the rapid reconstitution of 1st Air Force Headquarters at Tyndall Air Force Base. Within Tennessee, they aided in staffing a medical Joint Task Force for pandemic response and joined Hamilton County tornado recovery operations.
The 134th Air Refueling Wing, based at Knoxville’s McGhee Tyson Airport, received the Air Force Meritorious Unit Award for deploying more than 330 personnel to primarily the Middle East and Pacific. Members served in six continents and over 50 foreign locations. Over 80 additional unit members supported various COVID-19 missions in Tennessee while another 30 assisted with civil unrest and other domestic operations.
“Proud is an understatement,” said Glass. “The Tennessee Air National Guard is the best in the nation. These awards highlight the dedication of the men and women that did all that hard work.”
| Date Taken: | 01.22.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 01.25.2022 14:42 |
| Story ID: | 413371 |
| Location: | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 245 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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