54th Helicopter Squadron takes home top honors

  • Published
  • By Maj. Shane Balken
  • Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  It's not often you can call yourself the best in your job. So when Lt. Col. Brett Machovina, 54th Helicopter Squadron commander, found out his 39 members were awarded the Best Overall Helicopter Squadron in Air Force Global Strike Command for 2011, he knew it was a very special honor.

"Our team has accomplished a lot this past year and they really earned this award," said Machovina. "They went way above what was required and really took care of their Air Force and community families."

Minot's devastating flood took a toll on the squadron's people and assets last summer and pushed the limits of support. The squadron provided around-the-clock standby duty for search and rescue missions, distinguished visitor support, media support to CNN film crews, another 53 flight hours of flood mitigation, and delivered logistical support where needed, just to name a few.

After the flood receded, the outpouring of support didn't stop there. Twenty two squadron volunteers worked to help clean up the daunting amount of debris by cleaning, tearing down, and rebuilding homes.

The tight-knit squadron also took on a move of their nine operations offices from a cramped and outdated building to another outdated building with a lot more space.
 
Without ever compromising the mission, the move included completely refurbishing a 10,000 square foot building that was slated for demolition. The self-help project was completed over several weekends by relying on handyman skills throughout the squadron and scraping funds together to enable the purchase of $40,000 of equipment and furnishings. The result was a much-improved, and needed, building for both the operations and alert facility while at the same time saving the Air Force money.

The squadron also won at the Global Strike Challenge. It was the first time that a helicopter crew from Minot won against the other MAJCOM helicopter squadrons since the competition began 17 years ago, and they did it in convincing style with the youngest aircraft commander and copilot in the competition. Machovina was quick to point out that the individual accomplishments throughout the squadron were equally impressive.

"We have some amazingly talented people in this squadron and the individual awards were numerous. I look at these young Airmen and I think the Air Force has continued to produce a better product of people than when I started out," said Machovina. "They have stepped up at every opportunity and taken care of our deployed squadron members and spouses as if they were their own families. They are very hard-working and compassionate."

2011 was a busy year for the 54th HS and Machovina said the squadron has a lot to be proud of. "I think our members have embodied everything in the Air Force core values and it shows. Integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do. I couldn't be more proud of them," said Machovina.