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AETC commander presents 2015 Altus Trophy to Montgomery mayor

  • Published
  • By Phil Berube
  • 42nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. --  The city of Montgomery was formally presented with the Altus Trophy as the community having the best relationship with its military partners in Air Education and Training Command for 2015 during a ceremony April 11 at the U.S. Federal Courthouse.

Presenting the trophy to Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange were Lt. Gen. Darryl Roberson, commander of Air Education and Training Command, and Dr. Joe Leverett, the chairman of the Altus Trophy selection committee.

The Altus Trophy, established in 2010, recognizes AETC's top community supporters and is also known as the AETC Community Support Award. It is presented annually by the Altus, Oklahoma, chamber of commerce. Montgomery was announced as the winner of the trophy March 23.

During the ceremony at the courthouse, Roberson spoke about the enduring legacy of Montgomery's support to Maxwell, going back to the days of the Wright brothers' civilian flying school in 1910 to the establishment of Air University in 1947 at the start of the Air Force as a separate military service.

"You have been supporting our Airmen and everything they do for the mission every day," he said. "You have been taking care of our families for a long, long time, and we are so appreciative of that."

In listing some of the city's accomplishments over the year, Roberson specifically highlighted the community's support to Air University's Alabama Goodwill Ambassadors Program, a program where civilians volunteer to be sponsors of international officers and their families who are attending schools at the university.

"What you're doing is establishing relationships with partners around the world that has made a difference time after time and will continue to make a huge difference as world events occur," he said. "The time to know each other is not in a crisis. The time to know each other is beforehand when you can make lasting bonds, and that's what happens here."

Maxwell commanders also spoke about the community's support to Airmen and River Region residents' devotion to country.

"This trophy represents what is in the 'water' here," said Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast, commander of Air University, "A fighting spirit of patriotism that recognizes that American exceptionalism is forged in a relationship between a community of civil society and the military that defends it."

The commander of the 42nd Air Base Wing, Col. Andrea Tullos, said she has been fortunate to have served in military communities where civic leaders have supported the military and know what it means to serve.

"But," she said, "I have never worked in a community that has been able to take that essence and get it down to every single person on the street that I come across."

The mayor said he plans to have the trophy on display at various locations throughout the city for the rest of the year. He added that winning the award is a reflection of the city's and Maxwell's mutual support for each other.

"This is a significant honor for our community," said Strange. "We win it together. We do not win it as a community in absence of the base. We are now in a position to claim that we are the best hometown in the Air Force."

Previous winners of the Altus Trophy include Columbus, Mississippi; Wichita Falls, Texas; Del Rio, Texas; Enid, Oklahoma; and San Angelo, Texas.