133rd Airlift Wing recognizes outstanding achievements during annual ceremony

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jonathan Young and Airman 1st Class Kari Giles
  • 133rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
St. Paul, Minn. --  The 133rd Airlift Wing held its annual award show celebrating the accomplishments, deployments, and great work the wing has done in 2011 in the north hanger Dec. 10. The event featured Lt. Gen. Harry M. Wyatt III, director of the Air National Guard, Maj. Gen. Rick Nash, the adjutant general of Minnesota, and other distinguished guests.

The ceremony opened as the official party entered the packed hanger and the National Anthem was sung while the colors were presented. After the introductions and formalities finished, Maj. Gen. Nash complimented the 133rd AW by saying it has a bright future and how the wing has hit many major milestones in the past year with the 90th anniversary of the wing, 50th anniversary of the 109th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, and the 40th anniversary of the 210th Engineering Installation Squadron. He mentioned the wing's great success and how extraordinary it is that the wing has won the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for the eighth time in recent years.

The ceremony highlighted the achievements of the wing's outstanding Airmen, Senior Master Sgt. Kurt Huver of the 133rd Civil Engineer Squadron, Tech. Sgt. Joshua Uhl of the 208th Weather Flight, Senior Airman Alyson Loftus of the 133rd Force Support Squadron, and Master Sgt. Jace Erickson of the 133rd Civil Engineering Squadron. These Airmen were officially recognized as the Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2012. They will go on to represent the wing in the state competition and if selected, go on to the national competition. The ceremony also recognized many other amazing individuals within the wing that received national and local awards.

In celebration of the wings 90th anniversary and being acknowledged as the first federally recognized flying unit in the National Guard, Col. Greg H. Haase, commander of the 133rd AW, presented Lt. Gen. Wyatt with a special token of appreciation from the wing. He was given a framed display of photos with patches and photocopies of original documents showing the history of the wing, to be hung at the National Guard Bureau Headquarters in Washington, D. C.

Lt. Gen. Wyatt began his remarks by saying how happy he was to be back in Minnesota and said, "It is no small happenstance or circumstance that this is his third visit to the 133rd." He stated that he hasn't visited another wing as director in the Air National Guard as much as he has visited here. He laughed as he clarified that it was not because the wing needs the help, but he enjoys being here. He acknowledged how the high level of accomplishments at this wing can be highly attributed to the men and women all sitting before him, both past and present.

Col. Haase closed the ceremony by stating that the wing has the number one campus of the Air National Guard and that everyone creates one living breathing organism that works together to become stronger, to handle economic changes, changes in the mission, challenges of inspections and deployments. He went on to say the wing will continue take on the unexpected and move forward. He ended by challenging members of the wing to be even better in the years to come.