Oregon Air National Guard’s 123rd Weather Flight receives award for outstanding technical achievement

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Nick Choy
  • Oregon Military Department Public Affairs
The Oregon Air National Guard's 123rd Weather Flight was recently awarded the Outstanding Technical Achievement in Weather Operations Award from the United States Air Force.

The Oregon unit is the first Reserve Component Organization to have received the recognition from the U.S. Air Force Weather.

On Feb. 2, 2010, four of the unit's Airmen traveled to Haiti following the devastating earthquake there. They were; Tech. Sgt. Michael Fischer, Master Sgt. Ken Campbell, Staff Sgt. Matt Jenkins, and Lt. Mark Gibson.

The team spent six months in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, providing weather operations support to the joint task force during Operation Unified Response, which assisted with relief efforts following the Jan. 12 earthquake.

Aside from providing technical weather operations support, the team was instrumental in re-establishing the Haitian National Weather Service following the earthquake, and also volunteered for rescue and recovery efforts going on throughout the stricken city. Team lead, Master Sgt. Ken Campbell, said he was very proud of the accomplishments of his team, both on the ground in Haiti, and for winning the award.

"Winning this award validates from the Director of U.S. Air Force Weather that the Oregon Air National Guard is not just contributing to our country's ongoing combat missions, but also to worldwide Humanitarian Disasters like Haiti," Campbell said.

Campbell also received the Air Reserve Component Battlefield Weather Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year award, and Gibson received the Air Reserve Component Battlefield Weather Company Grade Officer of the Year award.

The awards recognize the most significant technical achievements in weather operations, including space weather and climatology, which contribute to enhanced operations throughout the United States Air Force. It recognizes achievements which are unique and innovative, such as new procedures, technical efficiencies, products, techniques and data applications in support of ground, air, and space operations.