Ellsworth honors maintainers

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Alessandra N. Gamboa
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  Airmen from Ellsworth maintenance and munitions squadrons were recognized and honored for their achievements in 2010 during a private awards ceremony and banquet at the Dakota's Club, March 18.

Brig. Gen. Mark Atkinson, Air Combat Command director of logistics at Langley Air Force Base, Va., was the special guest and keynote speaker for the event that also included addresses by wing leaders including Col. James Katrenak, 28th Maintenance Group commander.

General Atkinson praised all those attending and encouraged them to keep pressing and never give up. He added that there will be new challenges ahead, and everyone should draw from their experience, leadership and help from fellow Airmen to overcome adversity, and maintain the level of excellence they have achieved over the last year.

For Senior Master Sgt. Lloyd McNett, 28th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron B-1B Lancer sortie support superintendent nominated for the Lance P. Sijan Award, the highlight of the evening was the feeling of camaraderie among the units.

"Colonel Katrenak's comment that, 'spirit is in this room' truly reflected the entire evening's esprit de corps," Sergeant McNett said. "I was honored to be selected as my squadron's nominee and winner of the Lance P. Sijan Award. I owe an overwhelming amount of my success to the men and women of the 28th AMXS, specifically the Sortie Support Flight. It is absolutely inspiring to work amongst our nation's heroes on a daily basis."

Master Sgt. Victor Santos, 34th Aircraft Maintenance Unit lead production superintendent, said he felt proud to be a member of such a hard working squadron.

"It was a very humbling experience to be honored and awarded for what the 28th AMXS accomplished in 2010," Sergeant Santos said. "To be a part of all that was accomplished by the unit last year has been very rewarding in and of itself."

Col. Jeffrey Taliaferro, 28th Bomb Wing commander, said he enjoyed the evening and having the opportunity to recognize Ellsworth's maintainers.

"This is a great opportunity to thank our maintainers for all their hard work at home and overseas," Colonel Taliaferro said. "We've definitely raised our game in the past year, and need to continue to stay disciplined and focused to keep growing."