442d maintainers win Maintenance Effectiveness Award again… again Published March 4, 2017 By Tech. Sgt. Bob Jennings 442d Fighter Wing WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. -- For the third year in a row, maintainers from the 442d Maintenance Group have won the Maintenance Effectiveness Award (Medium Category) at the Major Command level. The award was given by Air Force Reserve Command to the 442d MXG in 2014, and by Air Combat Command to the 455th Air Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron in 2015 – a unit to which 442d maintainers were deployed during a portion of the award period. Now, Air Force Reserve Command has chosen to honor the 442d MXG once again. The award was given for accomplishments during fiscal year 2016, including supporting more than 6,500 flying hours in more than 3,600 sorties. Maintainers also provided support for multiple austere landing exercises both state-side and abroad, developed procedures for dealing with “hung munitions” – bombs that fail to drop from the aircraft when commanded – produced 18 A-10 engines with zero delays, and loaded jets with more than 234,000 pounds of munitions with no mishaps. These are just a few of the actions for which the unit was recognized. "This award is a testament of the quality total team effort of our everyone in the maintenance group," said Col. James Brock, the commander of the 442d MXG. "Maintainers, CSS staff, maintenance group staff, are all important in getting the mission accomplished. This was a busy year for the group as although we did not have a major deployment, we supported seven TDYs to include two O-Conus locations. My hat's off to the people...they are the integral piece to us winning award recently in 2014 and 2016 and the high levels of quality they demand. " The 442d has won this award nine times since 1988.