Mr. Ethan Cavenaugh, Mr. Raymond Shupe, Mr. Richard Galley, Lt Col Shawn Tupta, TSgt Jacob Soukey, and MSgt Brandon Bowen.
Left to right: Mr. Ethan Cavenaugh, Mr. Raymond Shupe, Mr. Richard Galley, Lt Col Shawn Tupta, TSgt Jacob Soukey, and MSgt Brandon Bowen.
A C-17 Globemaster III aircraft sits on the flightline at an undisclosed location.
A C-17 Globemaster III aircraft assigned to the 6th Airlift Squadron (6 AS), Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, NJ, sits on the flight line at an undisclosed date and location. As the most heavily tasked C-17 squadron in the Air Force during the first quarter of 2025, 6 AS enabled strategic movements across every combatant command, showcasing the squadron’s role in delivering Rapid Global Mobility at the speed of relevance. USAF courtesy photo

Bill R. Parsons Occupational Safety “Top” Team Award

By Staff Writer

43d Air Mobility Squadron Unit Team
43d Air Mobility Operations Group, Pope Army Airfield, NC

The 43d Air Mobility Squadron at Pope Army Airfield (AAF), NC, led by Maj Casey L. Rains, won the Bill R. Parsons Occupational Safety “Top” Team Award.

The team investigated a C-130J taxi incident and coordinated with the home station to return the $73 million asset to Fully Mission Capable status. They implemented the first-ever risk management safety guidance for the upload of an experimental water vessel, executing a successful and unorthodox upload with zero safety mishaps, garnering fifteen coins. They also developed the Air Force’s sole air delivery system for aircraft loading equipment, allowing a 360-degree loading platform rotation. They responded to an Aerospace Ground Equipment fire at U.S. Army installation Fort Bragg, NC, during a “Show of Force” for the U.S. President at the Army’s 250th Birthday celebration.. They also achieved one hundred percent compliance across inspections and training, corrected critical hazards, and earned a zero-defect environmental compliance audit at Pope AAF.