Little Rock Life Support best Published Nov. 14, 2006 By Capt. David Faggard 314th Airlift Wing Public Affairs LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. -- The 19 Airmen in the 463rd Airlift Group's Life Support shop are the best in their business according to Air Force officials who recognized them with the Aircrew Life Support Small Unit of the Year Award earlier this summer. The list of accomplishments helping garner this award are many including the fact they stood up the first squadron armory for short-notice aircrews performing alert duty. They also saved aircrews 20 minutes per mission in pre-flight time--this may not sound like a lot, but in 130-degree C-130s in the summer in Arkansas without air conditioning, giving 20 minutes back to the aircrews is vital. "The mission can't happen without us," said Master Sgt. Ricky Wagner, 463rd Airlift Group Life Support superintendent. "Our mission is rewarding; what we do saves lives. The equipment we provide can and has saved Airmen's lives." "This award was meaningful because our Airmen have been working constantly, fighting in a war, with very low manning, and tripled ops tempo." The life support shop also established a two-day combat survival training course ensuring Little Rock crews had the most robust Combat Search and Rescue field scenarios outside of Red Flag at Nellis AFB, Nevada. All these accomplishments were made while supporting 41,000 contingency-hours, delivering 10,350 tons of cargo and 156,000 passengers to the warfighters and managing the redistribution of over $500,000 in Aircrew Life Support equipment. "These Airmen are heroes; their mission ensures aircrews are ready when needed," said Col. John Gomez, 463rd Airlift Group commander.