JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
The Spaatz award - named for Gen. Carl A. "Tooey" Spaatz, a WWI ace and the first Air Force Chief of Staff - is the highest unit flying award given by NGAUS and is presented annually to the overall outstanding flying unit in the entire Air National Guard.
"In 2009 the 113th Wing had one of busiest years in its history," said Maj. Gen. Errol Schwartz, Commanding General, Joint Force Headquarters, District of Columbia National Guard. "The unit performed admirably as a team while demonstrating leadership and continuous improvement."
Selection of the winner is based on overall combat readiness during the reporting year with specific factors including: flying safety, aircraft operational readiness, combat skill proficiency, deployments, unit manning, skill level qualifications, retention and drill attendance.
Inspections and exercises, as well as outstanding accomplishments and special missions, are also taken into consideration.
"The combined list of state and operational missions we tackled this year is impressive," said Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Johnson, 113th Wing commander. "The Capital Guardians are motivated and patriotic Airmen, and I'm proud to serve with each of them day in and day out in defense of the National Capital Region."
The 113th's award-winning year began with robust support of the Presidential Inauguration; an event requiring the activation of more than 7,000 Guard members to assist with the record-breaking crowd.
Shortly after the inauguration the Capital Guardians underwent a wing-wide operational readiness inspection, a strict preparedness-check that rates a unit on their ability to accomplish the assigned mission. The ORI results were "extremely impressive" according to General Schwartz, with 67 percent of all 115 sub-area ratings at Outstanding or Excellent.
Immediately after the inspection, 113th Wing members began the painstaking process of deployment preparations, mobilizing for an Air Expeditionary Force tasking that would eventually take the Airmen to Iraq for three months.
"The Air National Guard is a critical part of the Total Force and the joint team and we always pull together to meet our nation's deployment needs," said General Johnson. "Being able to balance those needs while continuing to accomplish our critical missions here at home is quite a
feat. The dedicated efforts of the members of the 113th Wing exemplify the value the National Guard brings to our country in these lean economic times."
While responding to deployment needs, inspections and inaugurations, the Wing also stayed on task with its primary state-side missions: executing VIP flights for our Nation's elected leaders and responding to nearly 300 Air Sovereignty Alert events in defense of the National Capital Region.
"Despite personnel shortages, the unit found a way to persevere and tackle (this) unprecedented tempo of operations," said General Schwartz. "I could not be prouder of what this unit has accomplished together.
The 113th Wing previously received the Spaatz Award in 2002, and was awarded Distinguished Flying Unit plaques - presented to the five highest rated ANG flying units - in 1998 and 2005.
This year's Spaatz Trophy will be presented August 23rd during the Air Separate Session at the NGAUS conference in Austin, Texas.