3rd CCG earns Meritorious Unit Award

Published Sept. 11, 2009
By Brandice J. Armstrong
Tinker Public Affairs

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The 3rd Combat Communic-ations Group recently received the Meritorious Unit Award. The 3rd Herd, which supplies deployable communication systems, computers, navigational aids and air traffic control systems, earned the award for their efforts in 2008.

"This type of recognition is huge for the herd," said Col. Thomas Byrge, 3rd CCG commander. "Not only does it show that the Air Force recognizes us as a high caliber organization, but it also highlights the hard work that the men and women of the 3rd Herd have accomplished over the past year."

The unit has 650 assigned personnel who are trained to deploy and support more than 134 mission systems in a range of locations and conditions.

In the past year, the 3rd Herd sent more than 300-trained Airmen to 27 locations to support the Global War on Terror. Deployed Airmen spent roughly 35,500 days overseas.

Obliging by their "Anytime, Anywhere" motto, the 3rd Herd delivered Combined Joint Staff Operations Task Force real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance outside-the-wire in less than two days.

The group also solved a three-year air traffic control issue and performed 79 convoys, which countered threats and maximized safety.

"Our Airmen train tirelessly and deploy around the globe providing critical support in locations like Iraq, Afghanistan, Djibouti, Guyana and Peru," Colonel Byrge said. "It's great to see their hard work has been noticed."

Introduced in 2004, the Meritorious Unit Award is presented to organizations that conduct outstanding military operations for at least 90 continuous days against an armed enemy.