Air Force General Bestows Honor on 910th Airlift Wing
VIENNA TOWNSHIP, Ohio — The 910th Airlift Wing was recently awarded the inaugural Battle Born Trophy by 22nd Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. John Healy. The honor comes after a contingent from the wing built a trophy using additive manufacturing.
The Battle Born Trophy was created by the Cobb Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the 22nd Air Force to highlight the relationship between the Air Force Reserve, the Cobb Chamber in Georgia, and the local community and to honor the 22nd’s past.
The 22nd began as the Domestic Division, Air Corps Ferrying Command, and was established on Dec. 28, 1941, Washington D.C.
Earlier this year, the 910th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron’s fabrication flight was tasked by the 22nd to build the inaugural Battle Born Trophy to be presented to the 22nd Air Force unit that best represented the commander’s priority of “readiness now” during the previous year. Its response was to create a scaled-down replica, built by additive manufacturing, of the original trophy.
The original trophy will remain on display at 22nd Air Force headquarters at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia, with a placard to list each year’s winner.
Chief Master Sgt. Darin Wesoloski is the fabrication flight chief assigned to the 910th AMXS.
“A previous MXG (910th Maintenance Group) commander, Col. Sharon Johnson, who is now the director of staff at 22nd, knows our capability and knows our willingness to help wherever needed,” said Wesoloski. “She put the bug in their ear down there (Dobbins ARB) that it would be a good idea to hit us up, see what we can do and challenge our abilities with additive manufacturing.”
Tech. Sgt. Jim Phillis Jr., an aircraft metals technician with the 910th AMXS, worked with Brock Elsea, a mechanical engineer with the base civil engineers, to render the trophy as a 3D computer graphics model consistent with the original trophy’s parameters. They then printed the trophy in five pieces on an AON-M2 High-Temperature Industrial 3D Printer, assembled it and applied finish.
“We built it, and then Maj. Gen. Healy came up for (910th Airlift Wing Commander Col. Jeff Van Dootingh’s assumption of command ceremony),” said Wesoloski. “So for a practical joke…we made the placard for the front of it saying that we won. We met Gen. Healy up in the wing commander’s conference room and we had it on the table all covered up and we presented it to him to hand back to us saying that we won. Well the joke was, we come to find out…we actually won it.”
Van Dootingh, who was just installed as the 910th Airlift Wing Commander in June, said he’s proud of the 910th’s achievements during 2020, especially given the unprecedented pandemic.
“Our motto is ‘combat ready today for tomorrow’s fight’,” Van Dootingh said. “This award is a testament to the men and women of the 910th who work incredible hours to ensure we are always ready to answer our nation’s call.”
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
