AETC executive earns national award

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Mike Hammond
  • Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  An Air Force senior executive assigned to Air Education and Training Command headquarters here received a prestigious presidential award yesterday for outstanding leadership and long-term results.

Garry B. Richey, AETC's director of logistics, installations and mission support, received the 2007 Air Force Presidential Rank Award, Distinguished Executive, at a ceremony April 14 at Arlington National Cemetery. Up to one percent of eligible career federal executives may earn the honor. Mr. Richey is the only Air Force senior executive service recipient this year.

Mr. Richey earned the award for accomplishments primarily at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., where he served before joining AETC in July 2007. He led the way in many changes in areas such as human resources, contracting, logistics and aircraft maintenance.

His vision and leadership saved the government $1.8 billion by guiding the transition of the former Kelly AFB propulsion facilities from government control to a public-private partnership.

He led improvements to the depot maintenance process that effectively increased the number of operational aerial refueling tankers by 25 percent -- which provided a tangible boost to the nation's war fighting capability. He championed Tinker AFB as one of the first bases to implement the Department of Defense's National Security Personnel System, a new personnel management and classification system.

In his current position, Mr. Richey leads a directorate which provides maintenance engineering, supply, transportation, contracting, civil engineering, and security forces support for 13 flying and training wings. He also oversees plans and policies supporting integration of new weapons systems into the AETC inventory, including the F-22A Raptor, CV-22 Osprey, C-130J Hercules, F-35 Lightning II and TH-1H Huey II helicopter.

Mr. Richey's directorate is involved in a number of initiatives designed to improve processes by operating more efficiently and in some cases, more centrally.

With the Expeditionary Combat Support System, members of his directorate are looking at best practices from the commercial sector of industry to improve Air Force support to its war fighters. In security forces, the command is testing automated entry procedures at the base gates. Staff members are also working to streamline the process by which Air Force members get specific training for deployments supporting other services, and how to take care of Airmen better while they are at the training. The command is also looking into centralizing funding and resources for aircraft sustainment and repair.

Mr. Richey said he feels very fortunate to have been selected for this award, and owes much to the people he works with.

"It's truly humbling, when I look around and see the things our folks are doing," Mr. Richey said of his selection for the award. "The teams I've been a part of ... you can't buy that kind of loyalty and sacrifice. People focus on the mission and if you're lucky enough to be on a team working on important things and they give their all, you just ride that crest.

"A former government worker, President Theodore Roosevelt, said, 'The greatest prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing,'" Mr. Richey said. "I'm just so lucky, it's hard to believe."