7th Force Support Squadron receives awards from the Abilene community, state of Texas

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Autumn Velez
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The mayor of Abilene presented the 7th Force Support Squadron two awards in front of the Abilene City Council April 24 to recognize achievements the Airmen have made in the community.

Mayor Norm Archibald gave Lt. Col. Naomi Welcome, 7th FSS commander, the Commercial Business Outstanding Service Award from the Texas Recreation and Park Society and the Don't Mess with Texas, Keep Abilene Beautiful Trash-Off largest group award in front of the council at the start of its bi-weekly meeting.

The Texas Recreation and Park Society, a non-profit educational and professional organization committed to advancing the field of parks, recreation and leisure services in Texas, awarded the 7th FSS for the 26 years that they have co-hosted the annual South Park event .The South Park event is a dinner, in which the 7th FSS is given the opportunity to cook and serve a holiday meal to more than 700 members of the Abilene community, using donations from local businesses.

"We are happy to have the 7th Force Support Squadron with us today," said James Childers, Abilene director of community services. "We want to recognize Dyess for all of the great work they do. We have a lot of community partners, but our partnership with Dyess remains very important."

The mayor was equally happy to recognize the work Dyess does for the parks system in Abilene.
"This is a state award, not just an award from Abilene," Archibald said. "I think it's even more prestigious that it comes from the state of Texas, and it's our way of nominating the 7th FSS to say, 'thank you and for a job well done.'"

The second award, Don't Mess with Texas, Keep Abilene Beautiful Trash-Off is for a state and city-wide campaign to keep both Abilene and Texas free of litter. It was earned by having the greatest number of volunteers that contributed to collecting more than 3,420 pounds of trash in the Abilene area.

"One thing I think is important about this award is that on April 5 it was a cold, windy and drizzly day," Archibald said. "That is not your ideal pick up trash day, and they brought a group of 23 members from the squadron along with 89 other volunteers. That's to be commended, and that's why I am happy they are receiving this award today."

After the awards were accepted, Welcome shared a few words with the Abilene City Council.
"I want to thank the city of Abilene for recognizing us for these awards," Welcome said. "It's important for us, as part of Dyess Air Force Base, to be involved in the community. We are not just military members in the city; we are part of the community. We are just doing our part to take care of it."
The mayor closed by thanking the squadron for its tremendous support to the community.

"We just want to thank you for your partnership," Archibald said. "And we want to thank all of you for what you do to defend our country."