KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- The 403rd Logistics Readiness Squadron at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., was recently recognized as the recipient of the Air Force Reserve Command Daedalian Maj. Gen. Warren G. Carter Logistics Effectiveness Award for 2021.
The 403rd LRS is assigned to the 403rd Wing and is responsible for a wide array of tasks from fuels to transportation to supplies—for people and aircraft.
According to the March 1 memorandum issued by Brig. Gen. William R. Kountz, Jr., AFRC’s director of logistics, engineering, and force protection, the logistic readiness awards recognize those who excelled in performance and made outstanding contributions to the Air Force’s mission either individually or as a unit.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our stellar team of logistics professionals to be recognized as the best LRS in all of AFRC,” said Col. Reggie Trujillo, 403rd Mission Support Group commander. “This award is a testimony to the professionalism, teamwork and sense of family that this squadron displays day in, day out, in all they do. They are a vital part of enabling the ‘Wing of Choice.’”
The list of accomplishments the unit achieved from Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021 goes on and on, ranging from the professional development of Airmen to millions of dollars worth of supplies acquired, stored, and provided across the wing.
“One of the big tasks we accomplished during the award period had to do with the unit’s M50 gas mask storage,” she said. “In the past, the contractor on base housed our masks, and since they are under Air Education Training Command here, they went by their guidelines, but Air Force Reserve Command’s guidelines are different so our personnel had to come up with a plan and carry out a complete overhaul of the way we kept track of masks for the entire wing.”
Supporting the 403rd Wing’s two flying missions, the 815th Airlift Squadron and the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, the 403rd LRS worked to provide needed parts for both routine and not routine maintenance, tracking over 4,000 requisitions enabling over 2,000 flight hours during the award period. They also provided supplies for hurricane operations during above average storm season.
“Outside of the mission of the squadron our Airmen also volunteered in their communities,” said Olivier. “They were involved with things like building houses, book donations, hurricane cleanup, and a lot more.”
In the realm of development, Olivier said the squadron was able to check off over 600 tasks for Airmen in upgrade training during their annual tour temporary deployment to Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. She also said they worked hard to clean up overdue reports resulting in 48 promotions and 8 decorations awarded.
“I’ve been here for about two years, and in that time I’ve seen a lot of positive changes in how we do things and communicate,” said Olivier. “Receiving a unit award is exciting because it shows that our changes are working to the point that people outside of the wing are noticing.”