AFMC picks two from Hanscom

  • Published
  • By Mark Wyatt
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  The 66th Air Base Group was recently notified that two of their own were the best at their craft in Air Force Material Command for 2011.

Selected for being the Outstanding Safety Representative of the Year was Kevin D. Follis from the 66th Medical Squadron. From the 66th Logistics Squadron, Staff Sgt. Vincent De La Hoz was selected as the 2011 Logistics Plans Noncommissioned Officer of the Year.

As a logistics plans craftsman, De La Hoz is the only seven-level log planner assigned to Hanscom. He is responsible for receiving, processing, interpreting and managing all deployment taskings for local units, as well as tenant and geographically separated units supported by the Hanscom military personnel section.

In addition, De La Hoz researches and develops solutions to airlift conflicts for deployers and coordinates with higher headquarters and U.S. Transportation Command to ensure members arrive no later than the combatant commanders' required delivery date.

De La Hoz deployed for six months supporting the Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command. During his deployment, he managed airlift throughout the Central Command's area of responsibility for all special operations forces.

"We are incredibly proud of what Staff Sergeant De La Hoza has accomplished this year," said Jim Taggart, 66th Logistics Readiness Squadron director. "He is an excellent example of what commanders and directors expect from their NCOs."

Follis was awarded the Outstanding Safety Representative the Year for being a safety expert. He standardized training for 14 section safety representatives across the medical squadron. His training program was declared the best in the air base group by an inspection team. 

This award winner also was responsible for reviewing and updating group safety self inspection checklists using an AFMC inspector general safety template as a guide. In addition, he coordinated a hazardous communication training program with the bioenvironmental engineer, which earned an environmental safety and occupational health compliance assessment and management program excellent rating.

"Kevin Follis is one of our most qualified unit safety representatives," said Galen Williams, Safety director. "Always responsive to the safety office requests, he has turned requests into action immediately and is very deserving of the AFMC Safety Award as Unit Safety Representative of the Year."