AMC SAFETY OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, CATEGORY V
By
8 EAMS, AL UDEID AB, QATAR
THE 8th EXPEDITIONARY AIR MOBILITY SQUADRON, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, has been announced as the winner of the Air Mobility Command Safety Outstanding Achievement Award, Category V.
The team safely moved 29,000 passengers and 10,000 tons of cargo on 2,000 inter- and intratheater airlift missions without a single Class B or greater mishap. They liaised with foreign mission partners and the Air Transportability Test Loading Activity office during the first-ever air movement of 15 foreign tracked vehicles weighing more than 45 tons each, establishing airlift certification and aircraft shoring requirements and accelerating high-priority cargo into the European theater with zero incidents.
Various teams within this larger group have accomplished much. For example, six Contract Officer Representatives drove the completion of 334 compliance inspections across five career fields and more than 46 contractors, which validated $1.9 billion in contracts by powering the movement of 64,000 passengers and 7,500 tons of cargo on 1,400 missions. The C-5 Maintenance section propelled Rapid Global Mobility, returning six aircraft to Fully Mission Capable status, enabling the redeployment of two combat search and rescue helicopters, and delivering a $21 million missile detection system to Iraq with zero accidents.
Among a plethora of other achievements, the Passenger Services group teamed with deployed Aircrew Flight Equipment personnel to re-certify 160 passenger life preserver units, saving $15,000 in replacement costs; Special Handling identified 89 discrepancies on a 48-ton shipment of explosives diverted to their station, eliminating the potential of mishandled ammunition and aircraft impoundments; and the 11-member C-5 Support Section built upon their Multi-Capable Airman skills, posturing themselves as ideal candidates to assist in response to an aircraft mishap.
Collectively, the 8th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron also created several key mishap prevention measures, including identifying a C-17 enroute to Syria that helped avoid a potential catastrophe for six crew members, 20 soldiers, and the loss of a $340 million aircraft. Furthermore, the squadron identified 42 dangerously worn tires on key vehicles and scheduled replacements, eliminating blow-out hazards during routine off-base travel at Qatar.