RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
A pair at the 12th Contracting Squadron was recently named Air Education and Training Command's Outstanding Contingency Contracting Officer and Outstanding Enlisted Contractor awards for their work at home and abroad.
Rhonda Chavez, 12th CONS team lead, and Senior Airman Ellizabeth Plack, 12th CONS contracting specialist, were presented their awards last month from Lt. Col. Michael Waggle, the squadron's commander. Colonel Waggle expressed his excitement about the two individuals who, he said, went above and beyond to earn the award.
"We are very proud of the outstanding accomplishments of Airman Plack and Ms. Chavez," said Colonel Waggle. "Their achievement is indicative of the fantastic work they, and all the 12th CONS personnel, do for the wing and our mission partners. We wish them well as they compete at the AF-level."
Outstanding Contingency Contracting Officer
While on a volunteer deployment to Kuwait in support of Army operations, Ms. Chavez managed the largest contract the Army had there - a contract that affected several countries in the military's area of responsibility. The $5 billion contract covered morale, welfare and recreation programs; fire and emergency services; security; ammunitions storage and transportation; mail delivery; combat training; billeting; and custodial services, to name a few.
"The entire experience was fulfilling," said Ms. Chavez. "I truly felt like I was being challenged everyday and it was worth every bit knowing that I was supporting the troops right there on the line."
Ms. Chavez was also lauded for her plan to implement contractor security screening in the AOR.
"There were two issues here," said Ms. Chavez. "There was a surge of troops and contractor personnel coming into the AOR, and there was a discovery of forged documents being submitted by contractors for passes. (This created) a huge backlog for doing security checks. I worked with the contractor to setup a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week operation for security screening with additional personnel to thoroughly review each document for authenticity."
Outstanding Enlisted Contractor
During Hurricane Ike recovery operations, Airman Plack facilitated the bed down of Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, trailers. She was in charge of coordinating and preparing the location where FEMA set up their trailers to provide hurricane support to more than 2.3 million Gulf of Mexico-area residents.
"I was glad to be part of such an important piece in the process," said Airman Plack, who is now deployed to Southwest Asia. "I just did my job the best I knew how and tried to think ahead to prevent any potential problems that could've arisen."
Airman Plack was also the contracting specialist in charge of the $900,000 effort to procure 15 certified medical assistants in the Randolph clinic - a feat that increased capacity by 44 percent and freed up a six month appointment backlog.
"It's very rewarding to be recognized for the hard work that not only I have done, but also my fellow coworkers," said Airman Plack. "I take pride in my work and think it's an honor to serve my country."
(Editor's note: The accomplishments listed above are only a few of the items listed on the award recipients AF Form 1206 - Nomination for award.)