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Fairchild Airman receives Gen. Lew Allen Jr. Award

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Mackenzie Richardson
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  Master Sgt. John Kelley was one of four Airmen selected to receive the Gen. Lew Allen Jr. Award, Apr. 21, during a ceremony at the Pentagon.

The 92nd Logistics Readiness Squadron deployment and distribution flight superintendent, was accompanied by other maintenance trailblazers in their career fields. Lt. Gen. Jerry Harris, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Air Force strategic plans, programs and requirements, presented the awards on behalf of Gen. David L. Goldfein, Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

The annual award is named after the 10th chief of staff of the Air Force, whose legacy was attention to detail and technical expertise and credits the accomplishments of base-level officers and senior NCOs in their performance of aircraft, munitions or missile maintenance.

“This award is a true testament of what the deployment and distribution flight does day-in and day-out to support the 92nd and 141st Air Refueling Wings,” Kelley said. “The trophy I received represents the ingenuity and perseverance of the men and woman I work with who ensure the mission is executed every day without a glitch.”

Kelley was selected for his contributions to mission execution while assigned to the 92nd LRS. He was handpicked to lead the squadron’s most diverse flight, overseeing 59 personnel in four Air Force Specialty Codes outside of his primary career field. Kelley’s oversight led to a complete overhaul of the unit’s Cargo Deployment Function where his team flawlessly processed 12 units for deployment, with 218 tons of cargo on 28 chalks, during four Global Thunder and Titan Fury exercises.

“The mission would fall apart without our Air Force transportation, logistics, supply, maintenance,” Harris said. “They face tough challenges today and every day.”

Kelley also directed transportation requests for 47 distinguished visitors, to include the Secretary of the Air Force, the 18th Air Force commander and the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force. He specifically led the merger of the Fuels Flight and Deployment and Distribution Flights, which were named by Air Mobility Command as the “benchmark” for all other classic associations to follow.

“This is a testament to Master Sgt. Kelley’s leadership and ability to motivate Airmen to always strive for excellence,” said Maj. Kelly Smith, 92nd LRS commander. “John will be the first to say the trophy is not his solely, but a win for the entire team, and he is right. But he absolutely deserves credit for providing the vision and direction his team has achieved over the course of his tenure as flight superintendent.”