Busy days; our standouts for the year, week Published March 3, 2011 By Col. Lenny Richoux 6th Air Mobility Wing commander MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- This week was certainly a busy and productive one. We enjoyed a great annual awards banquet last Friday and the work that the banquet committee put into the theme made for an awesome event. Congratulations to all the winners - please see our annual award winners in this issue's centerfold. We also kicked off MacDill's Air Force Assistance Fund contribution period. Capt. Jared Reeves is spearheading MacDill's AFAF effort, and I appreciate what he is doing to highlight the need for us to support the four charities that fall under AFAF. Each of these worthy charities provides assistance to Airmen, their families, surviving spouses and retirees who need financial support. I want to encourage all who can to continue the tradition of taking care of our own by contributing to this year's AFAF campaign. Additionally, March is Women's History Month and the base is honoring the legacy of women who've made tremendous contributions to our common history and more notably Air Force history. This year's theme is "Our History is Our Strength." I want to thank Tech. Sgt. Amanda Hendrix, Ms. Colleen Otero, Tech. Sgt. Christopher Kisse and Senior Airman Kate Holt for their work with organizing the Women's History Luncheon and other activities the base will host this month. I also want to recognize the 6th Security Forces Squadron's Military Working Dog section for recently conducting nine demonstrations for various organizations and events. Demonstrations were conducted and narrated by Tech. Sgt. Jerrel Colston, Staff Sgt. Jeremy Stranges, and Staff Sgt. Reginald Overstreet. The MWD section's Staff Sgt. Dmitriy Sklyar recently supported a few high-visibility distinguished visitors arriving and departing MacDill AFB. Staff Sgt. Jonathan Hartwell, Staff Sgt. Jonathan Desmond, Staff Sgt. William Grymes, Staff Sgt. Joshua Burnett, Senior Amn Brandon Denton, and Senior Airman Adam Chambers led the charge as all dormitories were inspected for welfare and safety by six different K-9 teams. The 927th AMXS' Staff Sgt. Michael Coates and 6th AMXS' Staff Sgt. Robert Jeffries exemplified Air Force core values and the total force concept by responding at a moment's notice to a stranded KC-135 aircraft in Butte, Mont., due to an engine malfunction. Given limited resources and a winter environment, they repaired the ignition system discrepancies within 12 hours. Aircraft 3517 has since returned to MacDill with no further engine issues. I am proud to serve with you in the finest Air Mobility Wing on the face of the planet!