The Right Decision
by Michael G. Crawford
With age against him, and a set of quite inflexible regulations, it appeared that he wasn't going to be able to fulfill a long held dream, a dream that had come to pass, all so nearly, then snatched away.
Well I am happy to report, the dream did come true. And in fact, today, Second Lt. David Edwards can proudly say, "I did it". Not only that, but the USAF has seen fit to award our not so young Lieutenant, the Air Force Achievement Medal. Now some old sourpusses out there might scoff and say, "big deal, it ain't the Silver Star or THE MEDAL...". Well that is sheer B.S. Such disdain for the process simply sucks.
I for one, am proud of David. And proud of the Air Force for making the right decision a while back and for taking the time and energy to reward him for his hard work. To those of you who have never won a medal, I have included the citation so you can see how one looks. I for one would be damned proud to receive this, and despite this very public forum I think it is fitting that it appear here. Congratulations to both David and the Air Force!
THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
SECOND LIEUTENANT DAVID W. EDWARDS DISTINGUISHED HIMSELF BY OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AS B-52 PROJECT ENGINEER, B-52 ADVANCED WEAPONS INTEGRATION PROGRAM, B-52 SYSTEM PROGRAM OFFICE, OKLAHOMA CITY AIR LOGISTICS CENTER, TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, OKLAHOMA. DURING THIS PERIOD, LIEUTENANT EDWARDS' SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE AND OUTSTANDING ACCOMPLISHMENTS WERE CRITICAL TO THE SUCCESS OF THE B-52 ADVANCED WEAPONS INTEGRATION PROGRAM. LIEUTENANT EDWARDS SUCESSFULLY SPEAR-HEADED THE PROJECT TO SATISFY B-52 ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERFERENCE AND ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY INTEGRATION REQUIREMENTS THROUGH ENGINEERING ANALYSIS. HIS EXTENSIVE ENGINEERING ANALYSIS DIRECTLY SUPPORTED THE INTEGRATION OF THE JOINT DIRECT ATTACK MUNITION AND THE WIND CORRECTED MUNITIONS DISPENSER ON THE B-52. LIEUTENANT EDWARDS' INITIATIVE AND TECHNICAL EXPERTISE WERE ESSENTIAL TO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETING THIS INTEGRATION REQUIREMENT WITHOUT PERFORMING COSTLY ON-AIRCRAFT TESTING. AS A DIRECT RESULT OF LIEUTENANT EDWARDS' OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS, THE AIR FORCE HAS REALIZED A COST SAVINGS OF 1.7 MILLION DOLLARS.