D-M finalist for Commander-in-Chief Installation Excellence Award

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Saphfire Cook
  • 355th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  After standing toe to toe with the best installations at the Air Combat Command and emerging as the winner, Davis-Monthan is being evaluated as one of two finalists for the 2012 Commander-in-Chief Installation Excellence Award.

The Department of Defense presents the CINC IE Award annually to the best installation for each military service. This year, the finalists for the Air Force are D-M and Barksdale AFB, La.

The Installation Excellence Selection Board, led by Maj. Gen. Tim Byers, the Air Force civil engineer, will visit D-M and Barksdale to determine the Air Force-level winner of this award and its accompanying $1 million prize. They will observe D-M's performance in about 20 categories ranging from airfield and mission operations to housing management. The award funds will be used for quality of life enhancements at the winning base.
In October of last year, ACC announced D-M as the command's best installation.

"In October we received the great news of our ACC level victory," said Col. John Cherrey, 355th Fighter Wing commander. "As we go forward to compete at the Air Force level, I have great expectations of the DLT. The hard work and dedication will be as apparent to the IESB as it is everyday to myself and those around the base."

With the two-punch-combo of D-M's support of multiple overseas contingency operations and the lengthy list of ACC and Air Force Awards, the Desert Lightning Team is heading into the CINC strong. In the past year alone, D-M has been the hub for a number of momentous events including hosting a Presidential visit with only 36 hours advanced notice, responding to an explosive ordnance emergency at a local defense contractor, and rescuing crew members of a downed County Sheriff helicopter.

The IESB will arrive Jan. 11, visit the base Jan. 12-13 and will depart Jan. 14.

D-M Airmen and civilians will provide briefings and hands-on demonstrations during the visit and they will focus on innovative programs that helped create and sustain superior operations and highlight those accomplishments that set D-M above the rest.

"There's a four-page write-up that we completed when we submitted D-M for the award," said Lt. Col. Laurie Richter, 355th Civil Engineer Squadron commander and D-M's point of contact for this year's CINC IE Award. "The visit will focus on verifying things we listed first-hand. They also look at things like our relationship with and impact on the local community."

The CINC IE award was created in 1984 by the President of the United States. It recognizes the efforts of the people who operate and maintain DOD installations and who have done the best with their resources to support the mission. The award encourages environments that promote innovative and creative ways of enhancing base-level services, facilities and quality-of-life.