Hurlburt Field's maintenance team, the 801st Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron brought home a field-level Department of Defense maintenance award.
The squad was among the 2014 winners of the Secretary of Defense Maintenance Awards for depot and field-level units. These awards are presented annually to recognize outstanding achievements in weapon system and military equipment maintenance.
The Secretary of Defense Field-level Maintenance Awards are symbolized by the legendary Phoenix, a mythological bird which lived for some five centuries, died, was consumed by flames, and then reborn from its own ashes. Periodically, so states the myth, the Phoenix would again and again be reborn.
This unique ability of the legendary Phoenix to rejuvenate and renew itself characterizes the role of weapon systems and maintenance in the DoD. The winner of the Phoenix Award, recognized as the best of the best field-level maintenance units, will be selected from the six field-level award winners.
Additionally, the DoD has established a new award category recognizing excellence in maintenance training, advice, and assistance of foreign security forces to emphasize the growing importance of capability of our international partners and our role in maturing that capability.
Awards will be presented in November.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Hurlburt Field group among 2014 Maintenance Award winners