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Enid, Okla., named AETC's 2014 Altus Trophy winner

  • Published
  • Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas --  The city of Enid, Okla., is the 2014 winner of the Altus Trophy, an honor that goes to the community showing the best support to an Air Education & Training Command base.

Gen. Robin Rand, AETC commander, made the announcement while meeting with civic leaders from throughout the command here March 12. Enid was selected for its stellar community support to the 71st Flying Training Wing. The Altus Trophy, also known as the Air Education and Training Command Community Support Award and helmed by the Altus, Okla., Chamber of Commerce's Military Affairs Committee, is presented annually to the community deemed to have teamed best with its Air Force neighbors.

"The Enid community clearly fosters an excellent environment of military and civilian cooperation and collaboration," Rand said. "The Altus Trophy recognizes the outstanding community support Vance Development Authority and the Greater Enid Chamber of Commerce provided throughout 2013."

The community supported Vance Airmen and their families with a program that has financed more than $1 million for scholarships and textbooks since its inception, with $46,000 in fiscal year 2013 alone. Enid also actively engaged Vance student pilots through the Class Sponsorship Program, providing Air Force students with a personal relationship with members of the local community.

Enid also hosts an annual Enlisted Appreciation Night, first started 48 years ago, to show appreciation for Team Vance's enlisted force. The 2013 event was the largest to date, with nearly $25,000 raised with support from more than 160 local businesses.

Enid was also lauded for Camp Tomahawk, an annual partnership between Vance AFB and the Enid Chamber of Commerce in which volunteers from the base help out with camp happenings, including preparing meals, supervising activities and organizing games.

This is the first Altus Trophy awarded to the city of Enid. Previous winners of the 4-year-old award include Columbus, Miss., Wichita Falls, Texas, and Del Rio, Texas.