108th wins honors for mission accomplishment
By Sgt. Wayne Woolley, NJDMAVA/PA
The 108th Air Refueling Wing of the New Jersey Air National Guard has won a prestigious national award for meeting the highest standards of mission accomplishment in 2008.
Judges of the Curtis N. “Rusty” Metcalf Trophy cited the Wing for flying more than 5,000 mishap-free hours in a year when the McGuire Air Force-based unit deployed more than 200 airmen to 13 countries on four continents, including missions in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The award, named for a former deputy chief for plans and operations at the National Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C., also cited the wing for supporting its local community by volunteering at the New Jersey Vineland Veterans Memorial Home and at the “Stand Down” to help homeless veterans.
To be considered for this award, units are evaluated in the areas of exercises and deployments, human resources, accident rate history, accident prevention and significant accomplishments during the award period.
Wing leadership accepted the award during the 131st National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) General Conference and Exhibition, which was held in Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 11-13.
During 2008, the 108th ARW deployed more than 200 unit personnel world-wide in support of assignments on four continents and thirteen countries. Currently, the 108th has filled more than 4,400 deployments in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, Noble Eagle and Jump Start. The wing executed more than 5,000 mishap-free flying hours supporting these missions.
This is the second time the wing has won this trophy. Its previous award was in 2002. |