MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- Two senior noncommissioned officers recently received recognition for their work when 35th Fighter Wing leaders presented them the Innovative Installation Project Officer Team of the Year Award at Misawa Air Base, Japan.
U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Christopher P. Huntington, 35th FW Inspector General superintendent, and Senior Master Sgt. Steven T. David II, 14th Fighter Generation Squadron acting senior enlisted leader, served as the installation project officers during Misawa Air Base’s 2023 Air Force Assistance Fund campaign.
“I’ve benefitted from the Air Force Aid Society before earlier in my career,” said Huntington. “I’ve always wanted to give back to one of these campaigns, and we were fortunate enough to lead it.”
Started in 1942, the Air Force Aid Society has the mission of providing aid to Airmen and their families through emergency assistance, sponsoring educational assistance, and offering base community programs.
The Innovative IPO Team of the Year Award is a Department of the Air Force-level award that recognizes Airmen who go above and beyond to raise funds.
Overcoming challenges connected to a delayed start, David and Huntington trained 42 campaign workers over three sessions to raise awareness of the AFAF campaign and foster competition between the squadrons through weekly emails and displays on the base marquee highlighting both the base’s goal and the top contributing unit’s goal percentage.
Through this fostering of pride and competitive spirit between squadrons, seven units reached at or above 50%, eight teams exceeded 100%, two teams exceeded 200%, and three teams exceeding 300% of their unit goals. In total, Misawa Air Base raised a 10-year high of $28,628, or 146.98% of its goal, during its 2023 AFAF campaign.
“It was nice to see that we have such a motivated team of a large group of people,” David said. “They took what I perceive to be the weight off our shoulders.”
Through David and Huntington’s leadership, Misawa Air Base truly honored the 50th year of the AFAF campaign, showing that Team Misawa takes care of its own.