Photo By Leticia Cunningham | Brig. Gen. Roy Collins, director of Security Forces, Deputy Chief of Staff for...... read more read more
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The 55th Security Forces Squadron earned the Air Force Security Forces Squadron Outstanding Large Unit Award for 2021. The award recognizes their mission, base and community accomplishments.
Brig. Gen. Roy Collins, director of Security Forces, and deputy chief of staff for Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection, Headquarters USAF, presented the trophy to the 55th SFS defenders July 15, 2022, at Offutt AFB.
“It’s an absolute honor and pleasure for me to be here to recognize the quality of personnel you have in this unit,” said Collins. “This is a tough category to win. We have a lot of tough customers in this particular category, and with the size of this unit, the type of mission you have, you are performing at the level that is absolutely amazing.”
The 55th SFS mission has varied quite a bit in recent years due to events happening on and around base.
“At Offutt we are facing some challenges here that most people don’t face in their careers,” said Lt. Col Cameron Maher, 55th SFS commander. “Two things that are unique to Offutt, are the runway rebuild and the flood recovery. We have dispersed the aircraft from where we operate normally and continue to maintain our diverse mission here.”
This unit, made up of 615 Airmen, Sailors and civilians, maintained several different mission sets, including providing security to the National Airborne Operations Command, U.S. Strategic Command, and two base locations, all while working from temporary facilities due to the 2019 flood at Offutt.
“Providing the support that the defenders do for all the units on this installation without stopping and partnering with our off base civilian partners to help us execute our mission is what really I think put the team on top this year. Because they haven’t let anything fall through the cracks, and they have done it without having the facilities and locations that they normally use,” said Maher.
They continued deployments, provided support through 240 sorties, powered post-flood base readiness, defended 19 geographically separated aircraft and 750 site personnel, established the first and only operational Base Defense Center, dominated the 2021 Unit Effectiveness Inspection, and much more.
“I think the fact that we deploy 150 some people every year definitely says something about our unit,” said Staff Sgt. Manning Koboushek, 55th SFS unit deployment manager. “Not only being able to flex but controlling Lincoln ops with the flight line being down, running down security on the base with the STRATCOM facility, and also still maintaining the global mission that we have.”
SFS personnel worked together, received recognition for their selfless actions which impacted their unique mission, and made extraordinary contributions as a squadron to the community, the base and the Air Force.
“I think this will motivate us to keep up the high pace that we have. We are a service before self section,” said Kobusheck. “This award wasn’t won by just one person; it was won by everyone’s constant conjoined efforts.”
| Date Taken: | 07.18.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 07.20.2022 10:57 |
| Story ID: | 425278 |
| Location: | OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, NEBRASKA, US |
| Web Views: | 180 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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