President’s Cockpit / By BG E.J. Sinclair, Ret.: Welcome to the annual Blue Book edition of ARMY AVIATION magazine. It really reminds me of the breadth and depth of the entire Army Aviation Enterprise as we see the names and faces of our great Army Aviation Soldiers and civilians around the world.
AAAA Aviation Soldier of the Year, SPC Emanuel L. Moore, Company F, 1st Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) poses with his family during the 2016 AAAA Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit, April 29, at the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Georgia. / AAPI PHOTO BY RENÉ BIDEZ
The missions range from operational units to acquisition to special operations; sustainment; Active Duty, National Guard and Reserve, training units, MEDEVAC and so much more. It is truly humbling to be a part of the AAAA National Executive Board that helps to represent you all and deliver on our mission to Support the U.S. Army Aviation Soldier and their Families.
As we strive to work that mission through the four pillars of Networking, Recognition, Voice and Support, there is one area in particular that we need your help on. That area is Recognition of our great Army Aviation personnel.
AAAA has many, many awards to present each year from the Soldier and units of the year to ATC Technician, Flight Medic of the Year, ASE awards and several more. We sometimes get very few, or in some cases no, nominations for a particular award. This is a missed opportunity to recognize Soldiers, DACs and members of industry in our formations and organizations who make a difference. We all know they are worthy of recognition. We just need to take the time to write the nominations for those deserving individuals and units.
Check the AAAA website at www.quad-a.org each month or quarter to see what awards are open for nominations. It takes very little time to write the narrative, fill out the form, and submit it. It is part of our responsibility to nominate our peers and subordinates who have done great things for our units, Soldiers and our Army. But most of all it is amazing to see the faces and talk to the recipients of the awards. Whether it is an individual or a unit receiving the award, the honor and pride of the awardees (and their families) is remarkable. It truly is what AAAA is about – taking care of Army Aviation Soldiers and their Families.
I ask each of you to look through the pages in the Blue Book and remind yourselves of our battle buddies and colleagues who should be recognized. Some may be from many years ago and worthy of consideration of induction to the Hall of Fame. Others may be serving today in a unit, or working in a PM office. There are also several awards for industry. Please take the time to pick one person you know and nominate them over the next year and let’s make sure we are taking care of each other.
Above the Best!
BG E.J. Sinclair, Ret.
32nd President, AAAA
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
