KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. – The 81st Logistics Readiness Squadron here has been recognized as the Air Force’s Non-Flying Logistics Readiness Squadron of the Year for 2019.
This award recognizes the best of the best within the logistics community for their outstanding contributions to the Air Force mission.
The 81 LRS has had an extremely busy year supporting the 81st Training Wing, 403d Reserve Wing, the local community, and the Defense Department as a whole.
Over the course of the year, the 81st LRS moved 2,300 students and 6,000 aircraft parts worth $15 million. The 81 LRS offers the Air Force’s only student-centered personal property office, which is a one-stop shop serving more than 1,400 students throughout the year. They also successfully executed 178 deployment taskings for 338 Airmen in support of five combatant commanders and were named #1 in Air Education and Training Command for deployment reporting metrics over this period.
The impact of the 81st LRS reached beyond the 81st TRW. The 81st LRS supported the 403d Reserve Wing by delivering more than two million gallons of fuel enabling the Hurricane Hunters to fly over 1,600 sorties in response to 18 named storms.
What truly sets the 81st LRS apart from other organizations is their ability to answer the call during a crisis. When the president of the United States had a short-notice requirement to support Operation Faithful Patriot, the team stood up to the challenge and was the first organization to provide support. Within six hours of being notified, 81st LRS coordinated extensively with the Department of Homeland Security to prepare, inspect, and ship an R-11 refueling truck to El Paso, Texas. This shipment directly impacted the President of the United States Border Security initiative to reduce illegal immigrant and caravan border crossings into the United States.
“Our Airmen get a true sense of accomplishment when they help others, and when they received an after-hours call to help during a fire at a local Veteran Affairs assisted living facility, they jumped at the opportunity,” said Maj Matthew Roberts, 81 LRS commander. "81st LRS Airmen coordinated an egress transportation route with Biloxi first responders and personally delivered elderly warriors to safety."
This Air Force-level award caps off a wildly successful 2019 for the squadron which saw them take home over 20 group and wing awards, two Senior Airman Below-the-Zone recipients, the AETC National Defense Transportation Association Award, and a highly effective rating on their inspector general vertical inspection.
“When I took command of this squadron, I told our Airmen that my goal was to help take them to the next level of excellence," said Roberts. "I quoted the New Orleans Saints icon Steve Gleason and said, ‘it’s not going to be easy, but it’s going to be awesome. Awesome ain’t easy!’ I’m so proud of our LRS family for the hard work they put in each and every day to get better and better, and I’m happy their efforts are being recognized. The Air Force got it right!”