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87th MSS education and training flight named best in Air Force

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Bekah Phy
  • 87th Air Base Wing public affairs
McGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. --  Competing against the largest bases in the Air Force, the 87th Mission Support Squadron Education and Training Flight recently received the Nathan Altschuler Outstanding Education and Training Program Award. The award recognizes one small and one large education and training flight that demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in providing and managing education and training opportunities. 

The award recognized several of the flight's accomplishments, including the creation of a new Professional Development Center. 

"The education and training flight transformed a 26,000 square foot elementary school into a state-of-the-art Professional Development Center within three months of occupation," said Linda Richardson, 87th MSS Education and Training Flight chief. "The transformation was driven by the team synergy - we performed/contracted 70 percent of the facility upgrades, painted 4,500 square feet, recycled 20,000 pounds of wood and metal, relocated and consolidated 24,000 pounds of furniture from three buildings into one, coordinated five separate moves, and still maintained excellent customer service," she said. 

In addition to the new facility, the flight partnered with the Department of the Army to equip Airmen with Lean Six Sigma training to enhance the Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century mission, Ms. Richardson said. They also enlisted community training partners to offer Change Management Training at no cost and developed a cadre of Covey 7 Habits of Highly Effective People course facilitators. 

"McGuire's education and training team has worked extraordinarily hard over the past few years. This year, their efforts culminated into the consolidation of the flight personnel and assets from three buildings into one Professional Development Center," Ms. Richardson said. "The flight aggressively pursued this consolidation, fueled by the fact that our students deserved a state-of the art facility and dilapidated dorm-rooms would no longer suffice. The flight saved a lot of money by converting a 1964 elementary school into a Professional Development Center, and this award is a tribute to their volunteerism, teamwork and on-base institutional partnerships. For this, we are both very proud and very humble." 

The future continues to look bright for McGuire's education and training flight. To continue with what has already been accomplished, the flight plans to become more of a joint environment, Ms. Richardson said. 

"Embracing the Joint Base mindset is a mission of ours ... our future will be Total Force development," she said. "Our education and training technicians will become proficient in all DoD systems, our counselors will advise on all voluntary education programs, and our classrooms will be filled with all populations -- servicemembers, DoD civilians, spouses, and family members. That is the vision behind 'joint' and this flight will play an integral part in parlaying that vision."