LRS: Above the Rest

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Nick Plante
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  Countless man-hours efficiently invested to the mission. Tons of incoming and outgoing household goods and cargo handled. Hundreds of happy customers served.

The above actions coupled with the recent announcement that the 39th Logistics Readiness Squadron is the Air Forces' Best Logistic Readiness Squadron, Non-Flying unit, added creditability to the unit's mantra heard at events around the base: "LRS: Above the Rest."

"It's amazing to see what a strong team can do with the resources they are given," said Lt. Col. JoBeth Parker, 39th LRS commander. "The members of the 39th LRS should be proud of their accomplishments. Everyone in the squadron knows what their job is and they carry it out with pride."

According to the nomination package submitted for the award, the squadron supported an estimated 7,600 missions that carried an estimated 93,000 tons of cargo and 23,000 passengers in support of Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom.

The squadron sustained the in-commission rate of its $68 million vehicle fleet to 96 percent. The sustained efficiency has been the squadron rate in USAFE for four years. The 39 LRS supplied over 2,000 aircraft parts valued over $5 million in support of 7,000 aircraft sorties securing 99.9 percent aircraft departure reliability rate. The members of the logistical squadron also increased customer service for 5,000 customers. The traffic management office maintained a two-minute customer lobby wait time which is eight minutes below the command standard, according to the award nomination.

The squadron's role within the 39th Air Base Wing is to execute war readiness, transportation, supply and fuels support for U.S. and NATO forces. The squadron also conducts deployments and receptions, vehicle operations and maintenance, cargo and personal property shipments, and passenger travel services. It manages $6 million in war reserve material, $2.3 million of support agreement reimbursements, a 14,000 line-item stock record account, 8.5 million gallons of fuel storage and 840 vehicles. The total value of these items is more than $263 million, said Colonel Parker.

The squadron's contributions have a large impact at the wing level.

"The 39 LRS Airman have done great things this last year," said Col. Phil McDaniel, 39 Air Base Wing commander. "They have played a big role in the wing and have proven they're the best in their category at the Air Force level."

The squadron also contributes to the base and local communities.

In addition to their assigned duties, the 39 LRS members also supported quality of life on Incirlik and in the local community. The members of the LRS team invested 3,000 volunteer hours on 113 base community projects and raised over $38,000 for charity. The squadron also provided 66 volunteer hours at a local orphanage.

Along with the accomplishments listed above, the squadron also carried out many other actions in support of the mission, innovation management and quality of life.

"The professionals of the 39 LRS continue to demonstrate their commitment to Incirlik and the Air Force missions," said Col. Andrew Pears, 39th Mission Support Group commander. "Their actions stand as examples of excellence and success that other Air Force members can follow to be successful."