72nd ABW members earn Wildcatter Awards Published May 2, 2012 72nd Air Base Wing TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Members of the 72nd Air Base Wing recently received Wildcatter Awards from Col. Steven Bleymaier, 72nd ABW commander. With his management and oversight, Kim Kline, with the 72nd ABW Civil Engineer Directorate, has been instrumental to the success of Tinker's Recycling Program. His compliance oversight activities have ensured that Tinker has consistently met Department of Defense goals for solid waste diversion. Mr. Kline performed a business case analysis for the brass casing deformer, which identified an immediate payback potential and was subsequently recommended for purchase. He has conducted extensive research to find new recycling markets for additional commodities with the goal of maximizing proceeds, thereby ensuring that Tinker recycling remains a self-sustaining operation. In an effort to stress the importance of participation in the program and increase the quantity of industrial commodities turned in to the recycling center, Mr. Kline has communicated with base unit environmental coordinators, maintenance supervisors and base facility managers. In conjunction with the Base Exchange, Mr. Kline coordinated America Recycles Day -- this event educated base residents and employees about recycling opportunities, resulting in increased participation in the Tinker recycling program. Over Thanksgiving weekend last year, the 72nd Logistics Readiness Squadron's Air Terminal Operations Section coordinated the download of six C-17 cargo planes with 194.6 short tons of cargo and 22 passengers coming home from a deployment. They also ensured the safe and timely return of Team Tinker's deployed personnel by overseeing the safe arrival and processing of 389 passengers on seven missions. Their mission success was recognized when U.S. Southern Command requested the Air Terminal Operation team to process and transport a $1.5 million Mobile Air Traffic Control Tower weighing 18,500 pounds. The team was tasked to figure the required shoring needed to safely load the equipment on a C-17 cargo plane and then build the 30-foot long kit. All of these missions were completed with a limited work crew due to deployments and vacant manpower positions, and resulted in no mission delays and praise by aircrews for their outstanding work ethics. Their extraordinary teamwork was needed when the air base wing Weapons Vault was in need of assistance in transporting more than 4,500 deployment weapons. The Air Terminal Operation section came through with a mission-before-self attitude and aided them by providing forklift support and weapon escorts to ensure the $4.4 million worth of weapons were safely transported and secured in the new weapons vault ahead of schedule. Team members are Tech. Sgts. Ladedrick Moore and Matthew Armstrong; Staff Sgts. Heston Ashlock, Glyn Meranto, Jessica Hobkirk and Philip Swanner; and Senior Airmen Michael Lasseter, Fernando Hernandez and Alex Grimstad.