114th Maintenance nets top award at Red Flag

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Luke Olson
  • 114th Fighter Wing
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. --  The 114th Maintenance Group was recognized as the Red Flag 15-1 Outstanding Maintenance Unit for their performance at Nellis Air Force base, Nev. from Jan. 22-Feb. 13, 2015.

The 114th Maintenance Group outperformed a field of 22 units from around the country to take home the top award. The Red Flag Outstanding Maintenance Unit is awarded for best deployment preparation and bed down, the most effective maintenance practices and efficient generation rates, and the best esprit-de-corps among the deployed maintenance units.

Red Flag is a realistic combat training exercise involving the air, space, and cyber forces of the U.S. and its allies. The exercise test area consists of 15,000 square miles of airspace and 2.9 million acres of land on the Nevada Test and Training Range and Nellis AFB with 1,900 possible targets, realistic threat systems and a simulated opposing enemy force.

"This award was a true teamwork effort by everybody involved," said Lt. Col. Scott Rust, 114th Maintenance Squadron commander. "It was quality leadership along with good mid-western work ethic and at the end of the day the crews just got things done."

The unit harnessed their teamwork to accomplish their own goals, deliver quality training for the pilots and provide help as needed to other units. They were able to help out other active duty and guard units in sheet metal, launches, avionics, and electronic countermeasure systems.

"Once we got a handle on our part of the mission, we offered our services to the other units," said Rust. "I offered our team to help people every day and they took us up on it. I think that's what set us apart."

The statistics from Red Flag include: 160 sorties flown in 3 weeks, 235 flying hours, with 75 munitions expended.

"We had fewer aircraft than most of the other units to complete the same amount of sorties, so to be able to complete our mission and help out the other units was quite impressive," said Rust. "I have to thank the people so much for their hard work."