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TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Two earn Wildcatter Awards

Col. Bob LaBrutta, 72nd Air Base Wing commander, recently honored two members of the Tinker Chapel staff with Wildcatter Awards.

Chaplain (Capt.) Mark Juchter organized the chapel "housing blitz" to 853 dorm rooms and 714 housing units, with 16 volunteers who personally supplied residents with valuable information on opportunities at the chapel, Latté Lounge and the Integrated Delivery System helping agencies. He also honchoed the Chapel Karnival Kickoff for the fall programs involving 30 volunteers, $1,300 for food and supplies for more than 200 people and implemented a smooth "plan B" when an unpredicted rainstorm forced the outside activities into the chapel building. Finally, Chaplain Juchter's caring pastoral presence was evident through organizing three memorial services.

Staff Sgt. Jessica Corrales is a lean-forward NCO who is not afraid to point out issues and suggested remedies to chapel leadership. Due to her tenacity, the aging chapel facilities improved safety in six areas: Updated wall outlets, outdoor handrail, numbering outside doors, installing flex conduit, getting uneven sidewalks funded for repair, and inspecting and securing outside wall ladders at a cost of thousands of dollars. In addition, she obligated $28,862 for 28 mission critical items plus desperately needed repairs to chapel pews and kneelers for the 700 weekly worshipers who use the sanctuary. Finally, through 30 hours of hounding and work, she got the specialized worship service software approved, installed and troubleshot, which allowed the chapel to save thousands of dollars in photocopies by going paperless in its five worship services.

Aerospace Sustainment Directorate announces third quarter award winners

The Aerospace Sustainment Directorate recently announced its third quarter award winners. They are:

GS 5-7: Shelly Kula, from the B-52 Sustainment Division, provided critical support to the division to ensure supportability of an $8 billion fleet. She manages the contract performance assessment report program. She completed four reports on-time worth $54 million.

GS 8-11: Joseph LePine, also from OC-ALC/GKD, reduced B-52 Aircraft Maintenance and Regeneration Group assets to 12 shipsets, avoiding a 20-plus year's storage cost. He resolved manufacturer issues on new weapons release panels to ensure warfighter's equipment was free of defects. He stepped up to serve as the B-52 Nuclear Technical Order manager, to ensure critical technical data is always updated.

GS 12-15: Johnny Phillips, from OC-ALC/GKD, was critical to awarding a $17 million un-definitized contractual action in less than 180 days. He led efforts to vastly improve awareness and communication in the B-52 community through CoP website enhancements. He led training sessions and mentored 80 employees on new contract processes, which slashed award time by 66 percent.

Staff/Action Officer: Barry Alexander from OC-ALC/GKD consistently delivers stellar products on time, no matter what the task. He improved the efficiency of the division workflow and created a template to expedite the closure of more than 350 suspenses on time. He was handpicked to transition programmable depot maintenance work specification to Air Force technical order standards.

Company Grade Officer: 1st Lt. Andrew Sturgeon, from the Propulsion Sustainment Division, led the Tri-service technical team in the development of Air Force unique T700 engine life limits to ensure operational safety. He orchestrated the first T700 Air Force upgrade contract, eliminating U.S. Army pass through cost, which saved 12 percent annually. He was handpicked for the 2010 Warrior Day and Base Exercise Aircraft Battle Damage Repair team.

Team: The F108 Repair Augmentation Team from OC-ALC/GKG had an unexpected increase in engine removals, resulting in a backlog of F108 engines at depot, impacting the KC-135 fleet. The team quickly developed an action plan to mitigate the impact to aircraft availability and mission requirements. This team's dedication and ability to work together and with outside organizations was crucial for success. Team members are Paula Maggard, Tim Misner, Gwen Giles, Capt. Jason Maleweski, Melanie Easom, Alan Lee, Pat Cde Baca, Roger Ingram and Lorraine Turney.