152nd Airlift Wing receives Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Published June 7, 2012 By Tech. Sgt. Eric Ritter 152nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs RENO -- It's one of the most significant symbols of teamwork by Air Force standards and an award a unit could never receive without the hard work of everyone assigned. Brig. Gen. Bill Burks, the Adjutant General for Nevada, and Brig. Gen. David Snyder, the commander of the Nevada Air National Guard, presented the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award to the men and women of the 152nd Airlift Wing during a Nevada Air Guard Base ceremony here on June 2. It's not an easy award to win, but the 152nd almost made it look that way by doing what it does best--performing missions domestically and globally with unmatched professionalism and technical skill. The award covered the period of Sept. 2009 to Sept. 2011 and spotlighted hundreds of 152nd airmen who responded to extremely demanding mission requirements and an operations tempo unprecedented in its history. "In this two-year period, the High Rollers directly contributed to the national security requirements of our country, weathering high demands and hardships which they have voluntarily placed upon themselves and their families with constant activations and numerous deployments," Burks said. About 75 percent of the unit's 1000 members mobilized during this period in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, New Dawn, Deep Freeze and Coronet Oak. Several unit members performed multiple rotations overseas supporting airlift, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, aerial port operations, civil engineering and security forces functions. What really made headlines for the 152nd, though, was the outcome of the five major compliance inspections where the unit achieved "Excellent" or "Outstanding" for most of the grades. The wing's "Excellent" score achieved during last summer's Unit Compliance Inspection was especially rare, even for active duty units. Other notable incidents taken into consideration included: a situation where deployed aircrew members apprehended an Afghan Taliban on their aircraft; nine airmen who volunteered for a year-long ground mission with the Agribusiness Development Team; community support for the deadly 2011 National Championship Air Races crash north of Reno and destructive wildfires in northern Nevada. There's no doubt this has been a historical period for 152nd and although some missions are changing, the unit shows no signs of slowing down. "The men and women of the 152nd continue to excel in every area," Burks said. "Their passion to be the best unit, taking on any challenge, exemplifies the core values of the Air Force. Their enthusiasm and dedication to constantly improve and be the very best is contagious."