News

580th ACSG earns service award

  • Published
  • By Holly Birchfield
  • 78 ABW/PA
Robins Air Force Base, GA --  Volunteerism has been a pastime for many people at Robins for quite some time.

The selfless act of investing time in the community recently earned the 580th Aircraft Sustainment Group's Special Operations Forces/ Combat Search and Rescue team the Warner Robins Military Affairs Committee's Community Service Award.

Representatives from the group were presented with the award in a ceremony inside the Museum of Aviation's Robert L. Scott Theater on Monday.

Ed Rodriguez, president and chief executive officer of the Warner Robins Area Chamber of Commerce, said volunteers have shared their time in local schools and many charitable organizations.

"It's pretty amazing to think of how much they get involved," he said. "Some of them are here for a relatively short amount of time and they know it. Yet, they still get involved, putting hours into the community as if it were their home town."

Ron Carbon, vice chairman of the Warner Robins Military Affairs Committee within the Warner Robins Area Chamber of Commerce, said his committee has sponsored the award for many years.

"This is our way of recognizing the great service the employees of Robins Air Force Base provide to our community and being an integral part of the success of Warner Robins itself."

Mr. Carbon said many of the community-based organizations couldn't survive without the involvement of volunteers. He said the 580th ACSG's "sheer mass of volunteer work and the breadth of the lives they touched" contributed to their earning this year's award.

John Adams, 580th ACSG director, said he couldn't be more proud of the generosity of his people.

"I'm just amazed at the dedication of the people I have the privilege of working with every day, dedication not only to the warfighter, but to the community at large and the hours they make available to support the community out there," he said.


Lanier Meeks, a program manager in the 580th ACSG, has volunteered with the Salkehatchie, a youth ministry organization dedicated to refurbishing the homes of the less fortunate and other projects to help the community, on and off since he was 14.

Mr. Meeks said while he's merely doing his part to give back to the community, the award is much appreciated.

"I think this is one of the more important awards that we can receive as an entity on this base because it shows that we love our community as well as the community loving us," he said.