Gen Lew Allen Award

Retired Senior Master Sgt. Eugene Cave Jr. served as the maintenance superintendent for the 8th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. He executed a no-notice aircraft generation, transporting 69 personnel and 47,000 pounds of equipment, directly supporting the Nepal earthquake relief mission. Cave also planned and deployed 11 maintenance recovery teams, safely recovering $890 million in aircraft assets. (U.S. Air Force photo/Andy Morataya)

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Gen Lew Allen Award

Senior Master Sgt. Nathan McCoy, the 86th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels flight superintendent at Ramstein AB, Germany, oversaw U.S. Air Forces in Europe’s largest fuels account, supplying 75 million gallons of jet fuel to 8,100 aircraft, resulting in the airlift of 30,000 personnel and 22 million tons of cargo. As the command’s fuels equipment manager, McCoy guided the delivery of 80 million gallons of fuel to support nine wings and five forward operating bases. (U.S. Air Force photo/Andy Morataya)

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Gen Lew Allen Award

Capt. Jonathan Shepard, the 4th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron aircraft maintenance unit officer in charge at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, was the cornerstone for supporting 18 F-15E Strike Eagles deployed to Southwest Asia. During the deployment, he supported a 72-hour close air support surge which drove enemy forces from Kobani and Diyala and provided protection for 44,000 Kurdish civilians. He also guided hurricane evacuation operations, preparing and launching 12 F-15Es less than two and a half hours after notification and safely secured $660 million in fleet assets. (U.S. Air Force photo/Andy Morataya)

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Gen Lew Allen Award

Capt. Phillip Kapets, the 48th Logistics Readiness Squadron director of operations at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, drove a 150-person mobility machine, moving 94 aircraft and 3,000 personnel across 30 nations, enabling 15,000 flying hours. His unit cleared more than 4,000 aircraft parts, directly resulting in the wing capturing the Air Force’s number one F-15C Eagle mission capability rate. (U.S. Air Force photo/Andy Morataya)

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Four Airmen receive highest maintenance award

Published July 12, 2016
By Senior Airman Hailey Haux
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs Command Information

WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James presented the 2015 Gen. Lew Allen, Jr. trophy to four Airmen from around the globe during a ceremony at the Pentagon on July 8.

The annual award is named after the 10th chief of staff of the Air Force whose legacy was attention to detail and technical expertise and credits the accomplishments of base-level officers and senior NCOs in their performance of aircraft, munitions or missile maintenance.

Prior to presenting the awards, James spoke to the many challenges these Airmen face on a daily basis, fully confident they can, and will, do what it takes to keep the mission going.

“We are here today to receive this award, but it’s on behalf of the men and women at whatever duty location we were at that helped us,” Shepard said. “It’s a team award and we are just here to receive it on their behalf. Without them, none of this would have been possible.”

Each recipient echoed Shepard’s sentiments saying it is an honor to receive such a prestigious award, giving credit to their units’ Airmen.

“We are the greatest Air Force on this planet, precisely because we have Airmen like Capt. Shepard, Capt. Kapets, Senior Master Sgt. McCoy and Senior Master Sgt. Cave,” James said.

Gen Lew Allen Award

Gen Lew Allen Award

Gen Lew Allen Award

Gen Lew Allen Award

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