Commander praises Fightin’ Fifty-Fifth’s year-long accomplishments Published Oct. 9, 2012 By Tech. Sgt. Markus M. Maier 55th Wing Public Affairs OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. -- Col. John Rauch, 55th Wing commander, recapped Team Offutt's accomplishments throughout fiscal year 2012, and shared insights on the wing's way ahead, at two commander's calls in the Bennie Davis Maintenance Facility Oct. 2. This was Rauch's first opportunity to address the entire wing since he assumed command June 28 and he used it to illustrate the wing's tremendous contributions to critical missions around the globe. "Twenty-two years of continuous deployment," Rauch said. "4,000 plus sorties [this year], which means a little more than 12 sorties per day, every day of the year. Those [sorties] are testament to a lot of great work that is happening here and other locations around the world." The colonel went on to break that number down by the various types of missions flown by each of the wing's platforms to highlight the impact the wing has across a wide variety of operations. "The reason I bring that up is because we could go to some other wings in the world and one of those lines [on the slide] is the neighborhood of what they focus on and what they cover," he said. "You have to do a great job all across a wide spectrum and a bunch of different areas across the world; so that's a lot of great work going on." To further illustrate the magnitude of the wing's achievements, Rauch listed more than 20 major command and Air Force level awards, which units across the wing have earned throughout the year. The first award on the slide listed the 55th Wing as a finalist for the Commander-In-Chief's Annual Award for Installation Excellence in Air Combat Command. "[Brig. Gen. Dave C. Howe, Air Combat Command A7 director], sent me a note about an hour ago that said we actually won that for ACC," he said to a large ovation. The commander added that the prize for winning this award is $100,000 for quality-of-life improvements and that it will now compete against the other major commands for the Air Force level award, which could earn the wing even more monetarily. Another award Rauch highlighted is the Nebraska's Safest Companies Double Honor Platinum Award, which the state of Nebraska awards to companies for having sustained superior safety and health programs, results and achievements for twenty, or more, consecutive years. "A testament to your focus on safety is the fact that once again this year in Nebraska we are named one of the safest companies to work for," the colonel said. "We have federal laws that make us do things a certain way, but Nebraska also recognizes us." Rauch then transitioned to end-of-year closeout and funding. "200 end-of-year requirements worth $18.2 million were funded," the colonel said. He added that 32 of those are civil engineering construction and renovation projects worth $10.6 million. "Because everyone was prepared, there were tons of great projects we were able to get funded," he said. Next the colonel spoke about the defense budget and the effect on the wing. "Continuing resolution was passed by Congress, signed by the president the very end of September funding us all the way through March," Rauch said. "What they've told us is to go ahead and operate smartly and follow normal spending and operations patterns. Everything is pretty much running as normal right now." However, the colonel added that there still are uncertainties that hopefully get cleared up throughout the beginning of next year. "In the meantime, for us it shouldn't make any difference," he said. "We still need to knock out the mission the same way you guys have been doing with the same resources." The colonel then talked some personnel issues, reemphasizing the need to stay competitive. "If you have someone testing who falls in one of those categories, you want to make sure to really give it their best shot," the colonel said. "If you are working on anything competitive, whether it's , or anything else, we encourage you to continue to do that. It's a competitive environment we live in. So if your peers are doing something you choosing are not to, you are really putting yourself at a deficit." Rauch then wrapped up by asking Team Offutt to keep focused and continue with a lean forward mindset and the importance of Comprehensive Airman Fitness. "This is not some new program the Air Force is bringing to you, but it encapsulates how we deal with everything that's focused on developing Airmen," he said. "You should be hearing more about this over the next year."