SFS, Command Post exemplify Culture of Excellence Published April 8, 2008 By Col. Steve Tanous 30th Space Wing commander VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Vandenberg Air Force Base is home to numerous Airmen that strive to epitomize our Culture of Excellence. You can walk into any unit on any given day and find outstanding performers who shine as sterling examples and set the standard for our Air Force. Every week I visit units and am constantly reminded of the extra mile our Airmen go to fulfill their mission. They don't do it for awards or recognition, but because they truly live the Air Force Core Value of performing with excellence in all they do. Case in point: our Security Forces Squadron is known for "defending excellence" and last week they were recognized for their outstanding work when they won the Air Force Space Command Large Security Forces Unit of the Year for 2007! The men and women of the 30th SFS are charged with protecting the 99,000-plus acres of Vandenberg -- the crown jewel of AFSPC. To do that, they guard facilities, patrol the base and respond to incidents that arise. Additionally, they provide daily defense of active space launch and ballistic missile launch facilities and vehicles. We ask them to work long hours in defense of the base and the nation and they "defend excellence" the entire time. Two of our 30th SFS members who provided exceptional assistance in the local community are Tech. Sgt. James Dusenberry and Staff Sgt. Jason Brown, whose actions potentially saved somebody's life! For their role in this event Gov. Schwarzenegger will present both Sergeant Dusenberry and Sergeant Brown with a Medal of Valor, the highest award California can give to a peace officer. Another integral part of the 30th Space Wing that works hand in hand with Security Forces is the Vandenberg Command Post. They were recently selected as the AFSPC Command Post of the Year for 2007! Our Command Post is a 24/7 operations center and the Airmen there are my eyes and ears, attuned to everything happening on the base. During normal operations, they monitor law enforcement and emergency response activity, and are ready to react to emergency action messages and readiness condition changes from higher headquarters. They also process quick reaction checklists for local emergencies and command and control requirements. During higher states of readiness and in times of emergencies the Command Post, in coordination with the 30th Space Wing Commander's Senior Staff, work together to become Vandenberg's crisis response and management capability. Our Command Post also had another Airman recognized for excellence when Master Sgt. Marlene Hindman was selected as the 2007 Command Post Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year for AFSPC. Her mentorship and guidance to our junior controllers ensure our wing is ready to respond to any emergency at any time. These are just a few examples of our Airmen stepping up and exemplifying Vandenberg's Culture of Excellence. While these are the most recent, they are not the first, last, or even uncommon instances of excellence--the men and women of the 30th SW and Team V really are America's finest Airmen, developing and advancing space power for America -- and the reason that today's Air Force stands above all as the world's greatest air and space force.