Historians write their own chapter with Air Force awards

  • Published
  • By Wayne Amann
  • Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency Public Affairs
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) --  Air Force officials recently named the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency history office the recipient of the 2010 Brig. Gen. Brian S. Gunderson Award for overall history program management excellence and the Air Force Heritage Award for its heritage center and projects.

The AFISRA history team competed against four other direct-reporting units for the General Gunderson Award and 27 other field-operating agencies for the Air Force Heritage Award.

Due to the classified nature of the organization's mission, AFISRA history office publications and histories could not compete in years past, so this was the first time the office won the awards, officials said.

"Our mission is one of the most challenging and difficult subjects a historian could cover," said Phil Myers, the AFISRA chief historian. "The story of what our organization does for the Air Force and the nation has to be told, and we're privileged to tell it."

Among the accomplishments that garnered the General Gunderson award, the quartet of historians completed two detailed command histories of 570 pages simultaneously, spanning five years, in the time it normally takes to complete just one, officials said.

"We made our history program current for the first time in 15 years," Mr. Myers said. "This award reflected an enormous amount of hard work by our office, the superb support of our leadership, our visual information shop and our print plant. All are unequaled."

Other nomination award highlights included a photo digitization project that converted more than 100,000 photos of unit activities from 1949 to the present and nearly 70,000 photos of worldwide intelligence activities, he said.

The staff also conducted an oral history program for key ISR officials and unit personnel, he said. It featured a March 2010 interview about ISR transformation with Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, at the time the Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for ISR. It was the first classified oral history done via video teleconferencing.

As the go-to office for unit awards, the history office wrote a successful package to induct Maj. Gen. Doyle E. Larson, the former Electronic Security Command commander, into the National Security Agency Hall of Honor. ESC was a predecessor to AFISRA from Aug. 1, 1979, to Sept. 30, 1991.

In house, the office completely transformed its heritage center with new wall boards and three major artifact displays, which turned the center into a showcase for visitors to the agency.

"Everywhere you look, we've made improvements," Mr. Myers said. "Our heritage center unveiled a trio of world class displays in just one year. We've also developed and unveiled a unique enlisted heritage wall in the headquarters building."

The Air Force Heritage Award nomination specifically cited the World War II Enigma Cryptologic Machine exhibit, which has been viewed by hundreds of visitors. The History Office created a visual presentation on the machine's history, continuously shown on a digital photo frame.

Another noteworthy display is the World War II Gorgon, or Sigaba, cryptologic machine, also accompanied by a visual history file on a digital photo frame.

However, the centerpiece display is the Dualceptor, the first exhibit dedicated to an ongoing real-world Air Force ISR mission. Its unveiling, Sept. 24, 2010, opened a new hallway at AFISRA Headquarters, showing the global intelligence enlisted experience. The display focuses on the heroic actions of an Air Force direct support operator on a mission to evacuate a Special Operations Forces member suffering from altitude sickness in the Afghanistan mountains.

The History Office told the agency's story through its 64-page "Air Force ISR Agency 1948-2010 A Continuing Legacy: From USAFSS to AF ISR Agency." Besides updated text, the 2010 edition included 70 previously unreleased photos of ISR activities. In 2010, the office distributed approximately 4,000 copies to organizations and the general public.

The agency history office staff combined has more than 74 years experience in the history career field.

"Our experience level speaks for itself," said Mr. Myers, who has led the team since May 2008. "We bring an enormous amount of versatility, knowledge and creativity to the table, plus we have great team synergy. We work hard, but still have a lot of fun."

The accolades are no surprise to the AFISRA commander.

The office performed at a superb level during 2010," Maj. Gen Bradley A. Heithold said. "The four-man team epitomizes the very best in all they do. They are clearly the best history office in the Air Force. They exceed the speed of war each and every day."