Westover council earns Air Force award

  • Published
  • 439th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
WESTOVER AIR RESERVE BASE, MAss. - --  A wide range of activities - spanning from the base level to the community to Westover's parent Air Force Reserve Command - helped a human resources council here with the 439th Airlift Wing earn national Air Force recognition.

Members of the wing's Human Resources Development Council earned the Maj. Gen. Joseph A. McNeil Award for HRDC Leadership Excellence. It is awarded bi-annually to a large and small Air Force Reserve Command wing at the command HRDC workshop.

The award, covering activity from October 2006 ro September 2008, recognized multiple programs and initiatives that brought improvements to the base.

Lt. Gen. Charles Stenner, AFRC commander, presented the award to the Westover members at the HRDC workshop Oct. 30. General McNeil carries a rich history for standing up for the rights of others during the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

A few activities that Westover oversaw that helped win the McNeil Award were:

Community

These examples represent Westover's community outreach:

· The 439th Airlift Wing designed emergency response exercises with emergency management agencies throughout the Pioneer Valley, helping strengthen community relations between neighboring cities and the base

· Westover Honor Guard members provided military honors for more than 900 veterans and supported 164 other events

· Area employers participated in an annual "Bosslift," with the Massachusetts Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve, allowing the bosses a first-hand look at the mission of the base

Base

Held on the base itself, these activities broadened visitors' knowledge of the base, helping strengthen community relations:

· The base hosted the first-ever Hispanic Youth Symposium with more than 70 local JROTC cadets from four schools. Hispanic senior leaders and Airmen, including Marine tenants, shared life skills and personal testimonies with the young men and women. This resulted in five solid leads and two cadets soon to enlist in the military!

· Recognizing a critical need in the C-5 maintenance office, members of the HRDC facilitated a special, needs-based training session that resulted in nine new job placements

Command

Westover served as the command example:

· The Air Force selected Westover as one-of-three in-depth C-5 maintenance centers across the United States

· Through outreach and initiative, the 439th AW created a joint-information meeting with tenant Marine and Army units to ensure two-way communication across the base. This need will continue as the base welcomes almost 1,000 Army soldiers and 450 Navy Seabees over the next two years

Westover earned the large unit award, while the 908th Airlift Wing, assigned to Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., won for the small unit category.

For more information, contact the Westover Public Affairs Office at 413-557-2020, or e-mail at 439aw.pa@westover.af.mil