91st missile crew reinvigorating nuclear enterprise

Published Oct. 1, 2009
By Airman 1st Class Benjamin Stratton
Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- The Gen. Thomas S. Power Award was granted to members of the 91st Operations Support Squadron for the 2008 award period for the best overall missile crew in the Air Force during the Air Force Association 2009 Air and Space Conference in Washington, D.C. Sept. 14 to 16.

The crew was recognized for their hard work and dedication to the successful mission of Air Force Space Command's missile deterrence force found in the 91st Missile Wing's Minuteman III's here.

"We're really proud of the intercontinental ballistic missiles, space and cyberspace capabilities that we provide to the joint fight," said Gen. C. Robert Kehler, AFSPC commander. "We're a team of Airmen, civilians and contractors who enable joint forces to strike with precision, navigate and communicate with certainty and see the battlefield with clarity."

Proud as the general is of his Airmen, Capt. Benji Johnson, 91st OSS weapons and tactics instructor, said he was merely, "doing my job."

"It wasn't like I was trying to get the award," he continued. "I don't think my initial reaction really grasped the magnitude of the award. It didn't really hit me until I walked into the conference in D.C. and saw the chief of staff and secretary of the Air Force."

Just as Air Force leadership shows appreciation for each of the Airmen under their command by coming to conferences such as these, Captain Johnson's commander here couldn't have been more proud of his up and coming leaders:

"They didn't just do their job and go home; they dedicated themselves to making the unit and our crews better and were amazingly successful," said Lt. Col. Todd Scholars, 91st OSS commander. "A big part of the 91 MW's return to glory happened because they gave their very best every day."

Hardworking Airmen such as Captain Johnson and his partner for the award, Capt. Stephen Grinage, 392nd Training Squadron instructor at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., who received orders to the 392nd in December 2008, encompass what it means to answer the call and be an American Airman in today's Air Force.

"The last two years at Minot have been admittedly plagued with oversights," Captain Johnson said. "We have done our best to work proficiently and winning an award of such prestige shows we have corrected our mistakes and are moving on and continuing to build up our reputation."

Each year the AFA honors the outstanding achievements of men and women throughout the Air Force, government, academia and the aerospace industry. The association presents the awards at local AFA chapter and regional forums and during the conference Captains Johnson and Grinage attended.

Nominations for AFA national aerospace awards are solicited from the Air Force, members and leaders of AFA and the aerospace industry and U.S. citizens or organizations having a deep interest in aerospace activities.

Minot's winners could not take the credit all to themselves, however.

"All the men and women of the 91st Operations Group can be credited for this accomplishment," said Captain Johnson. "This really was a collective effort."

Colonel Scholars echoed the captain's sentiments regarding all his Airmen:

"These officers did great things, but no leader can perform without his or her people," he said. "We have a truly impressive group of officers, noncommissioned officers and Airmen in the 91st OSS--they are the force behind reinvigorating the nuclear enterprise. They all do so much extra to improve our business, often without being told. They see a problem and they solve it."

Cooperation and teamwork are integral principles each member of the Air Force team learns to embrace throughout their career.

"Air Force Space Command professionals contribute to our nation's strategic deterrent and deliver persistent space and cyberspace-based capabilities to America and its war-fighting commands around the globe," General Kehler said. "Every single thing we do in Air Force Space Command begins and ends in the joint fight and we are in that fight ... every single day."