Fort Wayne's 122nd Fighter Wing receives prestigious honor

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Fort Wayne's 122nd Fighter Wing was honored as one of the top five flying units in the Air National Guard on Wednesday.

Brig. Gen. John P. McGoff Indiana Air Chief of Staff and Col. David L. Augustine, Commander of the 122nd Fighter Wing, accepted this distinguished flying unit plaque presented by the National Guard Association of the United States.

“This award has the blood, sweat and tears of over 1,000 Blacksnake faces on it, both military and state employees. I could not be prouder of all of you," Augustine said.

Selection of the winner was based on several criteria including, flying safety, aircraft operation readiness, weapons firing, unit alerts, unit manning, skill level qualifications, drill attendance, operational readiness inspections, outstanding accomplishments and special missions and exercises.

The 122nd Fighter Wing completed the conversion from the F-16 Fighting Falcon to be mission capable six months ahead of schedule with the A-10 Thunderbolt II.

The unit also recently demonstrated its sense of community by hosting the Fort Wayne Air Show over Labor Day Weekend, where over 82,000 spectators were in attendance.