223 CBCS earns AF recognition

  • Published
  • By Maj. Maggie Winkler
  • 189th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
The Arkansas Air National Guard's 223rd Combat Communications Squadron was part of a communications group awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award during the squadron's February unit training assembly. 

Based in Hot Springs, the unit is one of four squadrons aligned under the 254th Combat Communications Group, which is based in Garland, Texas, and is the unit listed on the citation. 

Lt. Col. Marc Huneycutt, 223 CBCS commander, attended the awards ceremony at group headquarters in Garland on Feb. 3. Filled with excited, the colonel said, he is proud of the unit and its members for what they have accomplished. 

Col. Will Allen, 254 CCG deputy commander, said pride and excitement ran rampant for this unit accomplishment. "Team, this is about as good as it gets...our peers are extremely envious, and it's one big challenge to repeat," he wrote in a newsletter to group members. "Every member of this organization must feel extremely proud. I extend my most sincere gratitude for your tireless efforts and perseverance. You are the best." 

The 223rd has received the award twice. The earlier honor came in 1974. The squadron has five officers and 116 enlisted personnel and functions to provide communications in a deployed environment. 

These requirements may include establishing local area networks, telephone networks, wide area networks and radio communications. The 223 ensures reliable connectivity for customers all while maintaining mission effectiveness. Unique equipment such as satellites, microwaves, troposcopics, RF/VHFs, and cables are used within the military environment while other equipment is "off-the-shelf" commercial equipment. 

The 254th Group, a diverse, total force unit of 400 communicators, consists of three combat communications squadrons and one air traffic control squadron stationed in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas. The group has compiled an impressive record of achievements and has deployed to all corners of the United States and overseas. 

Engaged at home and abroad to support anti-terrorism, homeland defense, and hurricane disaster recovery, the 254 CCG deployed more than 200 personnel to support Operation Noble Eagle, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. 

In Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, 225 personnel deployed for hurricane relief and hurricane shelter operations after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck American's southern coast. It established air-to-ground radio links for a Superdome helicopter operations center that directly enabled 250 to 300 helicopter flights per day to rescue hundreds from roofs of flooded New Orleans homes following hurricane Katrina. 

Early last year, the 254 CCG and its aligned squadrons were recipients of the coveted Harold M. McCelland Award for the best ANG large communications and information unit.