TEC receives 8th Air Force Organizational Excellence Award

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Mavi Smith
  • The I.G. Brown Air National Guard Training and Education Center
The I.G. Brown Air National Guard Training and Education Center received its eighth Air Force Organizational Excellence Award on Jan. 10, for accomplishments achieved from Oct. 1, 2007 to Sep. 30, 2009.

"The breadth of what the TEC has accomplished is astounding," said Col. Richard B. Howard, commander of the Training and Education Center. "I've sat on the award evaluation boards before and I know the depth of the competition. To have our folks recognized in a competition that's Olympian, stellar, world class...what a thrill."

From the schoolhouses of the Paul H. Lankford Enlisted Professional Military Education (EPME) Center and the Academy of Military Science, to the unique missions of the Transformative Education and TV branches, every member of the TEC contributed to the award.

Among the many accomplishments cited for the 2009 honor was EPME's flawless execution in graduating 30 classes of more than 2,090 students from the Airman Leadership School, the Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) Academy, and the satellite broadcast version of both programs. Further, EPME's strict commitment to curriculum and delivery standards lead to a new partnership with the Air Force and, today, with the help of 15 new Air Force instructors, they have begun training an additional 750 active duty Airmen per year at their NCO Academy.

The Academy of Military Science, though now located at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., successfully commissioned 775 second lieutenants for the Air National Guard while they prepared for their move to integrate with the Air Force's Officer Training School.

The Transformative Education branch continued to provide training to audiences worldwide at a fraction of industry prices. They met the needs of commanders across the nation with the First Time Supervisor's course and responded to the Chief of Staff's initiative to reinvigorate the Air Force's nuclear enterprise with the Nuclear Weapons Related Materiel Fundamentals training course.

TEC TV embraced the merger of multimedia under the public affairs umbrella and deployed multimedia documentation teams in support of this new mission set. They participated in multiple national level exercises such as Ardent Sentry, Patriot Challenge, and Vigilant Guard. They also deployed in support of the National Guard Bureau's Public Affairs Rapid Response Team for Hurricanes Gustav, Hannah, and Ike.

"I am so proud of everything our folks are doing for the total force," added Howard. "To have TEC recognized as a world class leader is really exciting."

The Air Force Organizational Excellence Award recognizes the achievements and accomplishments of internal Air Force organizations that are entities within larger organizations. These entities are unique, unnumbered organizations or activities that perform functions normally performed by numbered wings, groups, squadrons and such.

Personnel assigned to the TEC anytime during the period of Oct. 1, 2007, to Sep. 30, 2009, are authorized to wear the award ribbon or appropriate cluster if they directly contributed to its mission and accomplishments. Civilians are authorized wear of the award lapel button.