366th Medical Group Airmen win Air Force awards

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Samantha S. Crane
  • 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho --  Recently, the 366th Aeromedical Dental Squadron was named Team Aerospace of the Year at the Air Force level, while Capt. Warren Conrow, 366th Medical Group laboratory flight commander, was honored as the Air Force's top Laboratory Manager of the Year.

"We [the 366th ADS] have been named number one in the Air Force, and I could not be prouder to be a part of such a phenomenal team," said Lt. Col. Mark Smallwood, 366th ADS commander. "Team Aerospace encompasses the men and women of the 366th ADS along with flight doctors and medical technicians assigned to the Gunfighter's three flying units. Dental, Flight Medicine, Bioenvironmental Engineering, Public Health, the Health and Wellness Center and Medical Readiness flights make up the team."

According to the award package, the Air Force Inspector General gave three ADS programs "Outstanding" ratings; calling their medical deployment process "the best in Air Combat Command" and the dental care optimization program as the "best seen." In 2007, ADS propelled the 366th Fighter Wing fitness level to number one in the command, achieving for every month of 2007 the least number of fitness failures of all 21 ACC bases. ADS won the command's chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear challenge competition and stood up the first-ever public health program in Kandahar, Afghanistan, among many other accomplishments both here and in deployed locations.

"The members of Team Aerospace have definitely earned this award," Colonel Smallwood added. "I'm consistently awed at the phenomenal level of performance I see daily from my flight commanders down to our most junior Airmen. We have a culture of excellence and a mindset that continually propels us to find ways to improve the way we do business."

While the 366th ADS team celebrated their victory, Captain Conrow celebrated his.

"Captain Conrow forged a cohesive team of professionals who have truly set the example," said Lt. Col. Dave Johnson, 366th Medical Support Squadron commander.

According to his package, the captain spearheaded the development of a blood transfusion verification policy already adopted by four other Air Force medical treatment facilities. Additionally, efficiencies in his blood collection program allowed the wing to provide 100 percent of the Air Force's quota of life-saving cryoprecipitate blood products to supply U.S. Central Command Air Forces operations on two different occasions. His team earned a 97 percent rating on nine Air Force bioterrorism proficiency tests - 37 percent above the ACC average.

"While Captain Conrow's significant involvement in community volunteer efforts clearly sets him apart from his peers, it is his stellar leadership that secured his selection as the Air Force's top clinical laboratory manager," said Colonel Johnson. "Captain Conrow is a one-of-a-kind officer and Mountain Home AFB is fortunate to have him on the team."