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Team Barksdale competes for top honors

  • Published
  • By By Senior Airman Chad Warren
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  Members of the Commander in Chief's Installation Excellence Award Board arrived at Barksdale Jan. 9 as part of the award's evaluation process.

Barksdale AFB is a finalist for the award which presents the winning base with $1 million to spend on quality-of-life improvements. The four board members, Maj. Gen. Timothy Byers, Col. Amanda Gladney, Col. Daniel Dant and Col. Michael Rothstein, toured base facilities for two days, evaluating multiple aspects of base operations.

Established in 1984, the award recognizes the outstanding efforts of people who operate and maintain Department of Defense installations, and effectively use their resources to support the mission.

According to Col. Scott Hoover, 2nd Mission Support Group commander, Team Barksdale embodies these qualities, constantly striving to implement creative and efficient uses of limited space and aging infrastructure. Though the evaluation was all encompassing, Barksdale prided itself on its most impressive asset: its Airmen.

"Our Airmen are doing amazing things every day," he said while speaking to the board members during a briefing in the air traffic control tower.

The creativity of Team Barksdale doesn't stop at winning the prize; it's also employing social media and technology to ask base Airmen how the prize money should be spent. The overwhelming response has yielded a number of suggestions ranging from free internet in the dorms to general base repairs and recreational areas. Though diverse, many of the suggestions focus on the expansion of Barksdale's fitness facilities and services.

Though Barksdale's competition, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., has yet to be evaluated by the board members, 2nd Bomb Wing senior leadership is confident Barksdale will finish on top.

"The visit went very, very well and the team was extremely impressed," said Col. Tim Fay, 2nd BW commander. "It is truly humbling to be allowed to serve with such awesome Airmen."

The winner of the award is scheduled to be announced in March.