Aviation Week honors Hurlburt’s gunship units

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Amy Cooper
  • 1st SOW Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  The 1st Special Operations Wing's AC-130 squadrons were honored recently for their achievements in operations by an international air and space magazine.

The 4th and 16th Special Operations Squadrons received the 2007 Aviation Week Laureate Award for Operations during a banquet held March 20 at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udar-Hazy Center in Washington, D.C.

The squadrons, which were selected as winners by "Aviation Week" editors, beat out an associate administrator from the Federal Aviation Administration for the title. Lt. Cols. Bob Monroe, 4th SOS commander, and Ted Fordyce, 16th SOS commander, attended the event to accept the award on behalf of the units.

More than 150 people from across the air and space industry were in attendance.

"It was such a humbling group of people," Colonel Monroe said of the crowd that included the last man to walk on the moon, former Air Force chiefs of staff, shuttle pilots and heads of aerospace corporations.

Even though both units have received many awards for their work in the past, this one was extra special because of the caliber of people nominated and in attendance that night, Colonel Monroe said.

"They may not understand the complexities of what we do here, but they understand the impact of our missions," Colo-nel Fordyce said.

The two commanders were so humbled by those in their company at the banquet that they did not prepare an acceptance speech. In fact, until they arrived at they banquet, they thought they were competing against each other as well.

"I was there to clap for Bob," Colonel Fordyce said. "When we realized we were nominated together, we knew we stood a chance."

Both commanders agreed that one of the most moving parts of the event was the standing ovation they received after accepting the award.

"It was the first one of the night, and we were one of the last winners announced," Colonel Fordyce said. "And after it (the event) was over, everyone came up and shook our hands, thanking us for what we do. My only wish was that everyone from both squadrons could have been there to get those handshakes." 

"It was a very telling example of what the American people think not necessarily of the war, but of the warrior" Colonel Monroe said. "They honor and respect of what we do."