Maintenance Group recipient of trophy

  • Published
  • By Maj. Andra Higgs
  • 4th Air Force
MARCH ARB, Calif. --  The 445th Maintenance Group, part of the 445th Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, has been named the 2007 recipient of the Chief Master Sergeant James K. Clouse Maintenance Excellence Trophy. This annual award recognizes the Fourth Air Force subordinate maintenance organization that has achieved the highest standards in safety, mission support and demonstrated ingenuity. The 445th Airlift Wing and its associated functions fall beneath its parent organization - Fourth Air Force - within the Air Force Reserve Command. 

"It's a pleasure being your commander because you all work so hard" said Maj. Gen. Robert Duignan, Fourth Air Force commander. "During a time when we are fighting a war, dealing with manpower and budget issues, it's refreshing to know that personnel in the 445th Maintenance Group remain focused on their primary mission and continued delivering excellent service and support for warfighters and on-going global efforts." 

The Fourth Air Force maintenance directorate convenes a board of senior non-commissioned officers to select, from among its fourteen aircraft maintenance organizations, the unit that best exemplifies the tenets of the award. As the concept of the trophy crystallized in the early 1980s, an aircraft maintenance equipment specialist on the Fourth Air Force Logistics Maintenance staff, Chief Clouse, was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He succumbed to the disease in 1984. As a way to honor the significant contributions of Chief Clouse in the career field and as a way to to adequately recognize the exceptional job being accomplished by aircraft maintenance people, it was decided that a permanent, revolving trophy awarded annually for maintenance excellence, mission support, ingenuity, cost effectiveness, flight safety, aircraft reliability and maintainability would be established. 

"Chief Clouse stood out as an individual who exemplified continuous improvement and value added change," said Col. Robert Stormes, director, Fourth Air Force Logistics Division. "Our winner this year, the 445th Maintenance Group, follows in his footsteps." 

Throughout the year, the 445th meticulously completed their conversion from the C-141 to the C-5 Galaxy aircraft and performed wartime training and readiness exercise missions to perfection, Colonel Stormes said. Additionally, the award's package noted that the 445th Maintenance Group instituted innovative manpower-support packages and technical-repair recommendations that enable the Air Force Regionalized Isochronal Inspection and depot maintenance functions to operate more efficiently. 

"Most importantly, the Maintenance Group operates as a strong team. They believe in teamwork and it shows in the results they produce. It is an honor to recognize them with this coveted award," said Colonel Stormes. 

During his many years of service, Chief Clouse worked in aircraft maintenance, quality assurance, standardization and evaluation and at the numbered air force staff level. His supervisory and management skills were also frequently called upon to augment command, active-duty and critical Defense Department special initiatives. 

"Fourth Air Force has outstanding Maintenance Groups and the competition this year to determine the winner of this prestigious maintenance award was extremely difficult," said Chief Master Sgt. Timothy Harmon, Fourth Air Force Superintendent, Weapons Systems Division. "The challenges faced by the organization with their transition to a new airframe, the lack of facilities while new ones were being built and the off-station TDYs to inspect and repair their aircraft. The 445th Maintenance Group clearly exemplified the spirit of the Chief Clouse Maintenance Excellence Trophy and they are deserving of this year's award." 

According to current career-field leaders, the selection of the 445th as winners of the trophy was because of their personnel's collective dedication to the mission. This mirrors Chief Clouse, who, it is reported, persisted "successfully to force design changes which improved the HH-1 helicopter fuel system and deficient overhaul procedures on helicopter gearboxes." On his last workday prior to his medical retirement, Chief Clouse put the finishing touches on a proposal he co-authored to create a specialty badge for the aircraft maintenance and munitions career fields. In June 1985, the Air Force Uniform Board approved that badge and it is now worn as an official accouterment on the Air Force uniform. 

"I accept this honor gratefully on behalf of the airmen of the 445th Maintenance Group of Wright Patterson," said Col. Anna Schulte, 445th Maintenance Group commander. "I may command this dedicated group but I know that the men and women make it happen. Their excellence, dedication and integrity are what make them stand out."