Photo By Heather Heiney | The 403rd Force Support Squadron poses for a group photo Feb. 10 at Keesler Air Force...... read more read more
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KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. – The 403rd Force Support Squadron is the Air Force Reserve Command winner of the Major General Eugene L. Eubank Award for best small installation force support squadron. This award is part of the 2016 A1 awards for manpower, personnel and services.
The award encompasses work done in three areas: mission accomplishment; management and customer focus; and leadership, innovation and integration.
“This award represents more than our mission accomplishments to the wing, it rewards our hardworking staff. We have traditional reservists who come in early and stay late to finish customer transactions during the unit training assemblies and air reserve technicians who multitask numerous personnel management issues without hesitation during the week. They all truly earned this award,” Capt. April Martin, 403rd Manpower and Personnel Flight commander, said.
The 403rd FSS mission involves processing enlistments, reenlistments, separations, deployments and dozens of other personnel actions. Not only did the 403rd FSS take care of the 403rd Wing’s 11 established units throughout the year, they administratively activated the new 803rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and facilitated the transfer of the 36th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron from Pope Air Force Base to Keesler. The squadron also led the first individual ready reserve muster at the 403rd Wing in six years, resulting in 35 members returning to the Air Force Reserve in an active capacity.
In the management and customer focus sector, the 403rd FSS updated their Sharepoint site to include the option for customers to create a ticket for personnel actions. They also assisted wing members with furthering their education and training by administering more than 1,100 tests, awarding more than 50 Community College of the Air Force degrees, and securing more than $200,000 in tuition assistance.
For leadership, innovation and integration, members of the 403rd FSS helped coordinate the 403rd Wing’s annual Airman and Family day, which provided food and activities for more than 2,000 Citizen Airmen and their families. Also, the squadron was the fourth of 71 integrations of active, reserve and Guard component squadrons as part of a Secretary of the Air Force total force support squadron initiative. According to Martin, the integration allows for more effective customer service in one location.
Martin also said the squadron is in the midst of extensive policy changes, such as an update to the enlisted evaluation system and restructuring after a significant manpower cut.
“The 403d FSS has never won an AFRC unit award, so to receive this headquarter recognition during a period of extensive policy change gives us validation that we are doing the best we can to support and service our wing,” she said.
“Every one of our FSS team members contributed to this award through their commitment to customer service, innovation and total force integration,” Col. Michael Manion, 403rd Wing commander, said. “Without their hard work and dedication we wouldn't be the deployment-ready and mission capable wing that we are.”
| Date Taken: | 03.22.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 03.22.2017 17:42 |
| Story ID: | 227792 |
| Location: | KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, MS, US |
| Web Views: | 177 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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