M1 Support Services win Disabled Veteran Employer award

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Kia Atkins
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  On Sept. 20, M1 Support Services received the Disabled Veteran Employer Award at the Texas Veteran's Committee 66th Annual Training Conference in Dallas.

The award is used to recognize an employer who takes positive steps in hiring disabled veterans. At the time the nomination was submitted, the M1 Support Service team here had 33 employees who were all veterans with more than half being disabled veterans.

"This is something we do every year, we are constantly working to identify and recognize employers that take steps to hire veterans. People who have served in the military have made a lot of sacrifices and it is good to see employers recognize that sacrifice," said Larry Denton, Texas Veterans Commission Veteran Employment Representative.

M1 Support Services is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business with a wide range of capabilities in aviation support services, logistics, information technology, training services, supply chain management, acquisition, and facilities and equipment maintenance.

The M1 team, here, are part of the maintenance project for the B-1 Bomber.

"We are a contract team that does general or any kind of maintenance on the B-1s," said Otis Duffee, 7th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron M1 Support Services team member. "There are 52 sites we have throughout the Air Force. They hired 23 of us five years ago to help get aircraft ready for a deployment. We did a good job, so they kept us on ... five years later, we're still here."

Dyess' M1 team performs any expected aircraft maintenance from general servicing all the way up to heavy depot-type maintenance.

"We do whatever we are needed to do," Duffee said. "The team has a wealth of experience. A lot of us were actually previously stationed here at Dyess, as either B-1 crew chiefs or specialists. We are here to support Dyess in any way that we are needed."

"I was really pleased that we were able to recognize a local employer for an award as important as this one," Denton said. "It really speaks to the commitment of Texas employers hiring Veterans. It speaks a lot to the commitment of our local employers as well. They recognize the value that veterans bring to the work force, the skills and training they have, as well as their adaptability to the civilian world."