By Dan Hawkins, Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs
(U.S. Air Force photo by Sean Worrell)
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, TEXAS – Lt. Gen. Steve Kwast, commander of Air Education and Training Command, announced the community of San Angelo, Texas, as the winner of the 2018 Altus Trophy during a brief ceremony with AETC’s Civic Leader Group, Feb. 21, 2019 in San Antonio, Texas.
The trophy, which is presented in partnership with the Altus Chamber of Commerce, is given to the AETC community that provides the best support to its local military installation.
“Building relationships that help our Airmen feel connected to and respected in the communities in which they serve is so critical to our ability to execute our mission,” Kwast said. “This award truly symbolizes the community’s impact on and relationship to our bases in AETC.”
Mr. Michael Boyd, a retired banker who is a member of the Goodfellow Military Advisory Group and also served in the military, accepted the trophy on behalf of the city.
“We are extremely proud and humbled by this honor,” Boyd said. “Our community is so supportive of the military because of our culture and the fact we embrace what the Air Force does for our nation. Our partnership with Goodfellow is easy because it’s the right thing to do for our community and the Airmen who serve here.”
Each year, competing communities submit a package to the Altus Military Affairs Committee and the final decision is made by a panel of former AETC commanders.
“The trophy sits on a base that is a solid sheet of granite that is from the mountains just north of Altus Air Force Base,” Dr. Joe Leverett, Altus Trophy committee chairman, said moments before presenting the trophy. “This granite symbolizes the rock-solid support the communities give to the bases they support.”
Recognizing the pride that communities have in supporting their local military installation and the Airmen who serve there is really what the award is all about, Leverett explained.
“One of the things that I love most about this program is when this trophy is officially presented within the community, looking out and seeing the sense of pride, the look of validation as they are awarded for taking care of their Airmen and their communities,” concluded Leverett.
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