CORPUS CHRISTI ARMY DEPOT, Texas (June 9, 2009)- Employees and guests waiting for the depot's change of command received an unprecedented surprise when the guest speaker added the unit's first Superior Unit Award streamer to the depot's flag.
Maj. Gen. James R. Myles, Commanding General, Aviation and Missile Command, presented one of the highest awards a unit can earn to Col. Joe Dunaway moments before the depot's change of command, June 2.
"This depot is the lifeblood of Army aviation, "said Myles. "By any measure, CCAD sets the world standard for an aviation depot."
The streamer, awarded during wartime to units not geographically located in the combat area, was presented to CCAD for outstanding meritorious service in support of the Global War on Terrorism from Oct.1, 2006, to Oct. 1, 2007.
"The unit performed above and beyond the call of duty to meet the growing and changing demands of the joint services at war," read the citation from Pete Geren, Secretary of the Army. "By implementing the tenets of Lean/Six Sigma and partnering with private industry, the unit significantly reduced cost and turnaround time and improved the quality of its product."
"The employees of this great organization are truly a unit and among the very best civilian soldiers I have served with," said Col. Joe Dunaway, former CCAD Commander. "The Army Superior Unit Award (ASUA) defines superior unit excellence and I can find no greater example of this than Corpus Christi Army Depot."
Celebrating its 49th year, the depot tripled production during Dunaway's three year tenure and grew to more than 5500 employees while contributing more than $1 Billion to the local economy.
Recognized as a world leader in rotary wing maintenance and repair operations, CCAD provides overhaul, repair, modification, recapitalization, retrofit, testing and modernization of helicopters, engines and components for all service and foreign military sales.
The depot serves as a training base for active duty Army, National Guard, Reserve and foreign military personnel. And depot field teams provide on-site maintenance services for units deployed worldwide.
"As the Army's only Depot Aviation Repair facility, CCAD produces more than 30K components annually and has met 100 percent of War Fighter requirements since the war began," said Dunaway. "There is no greater example of a superior unit in support of our nation's finest."
Military personnel assigned to CCAD during the award period may wear the award for as long as they remain in the Army. Civilians are authorized to wear a lapel pin signifying CCAD's selection as a superior unit.
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