Awards Program

Awards Program

Each Fall our Squadron solicits fleet-wide nominations from the Marine Corps Aviation Test and Acquisition communities for the Test Pilot/NFO-of-the-Year, Acquisition Officer-of-the-Year, and Acquisition SNCO-of-the-Year. A "Council of Colonels" from the Test and Acquisition communities is convened in December to review candidates and select the award recipients. Awards are presented to the recipients at our annual awards banquet in January/February. All three awardees are submitted to the MCAA National awards program as nominees for the Commandant of the Marine Corps' Award for Acquisition Excellence. Past award recipients are listed below.

Senator Glenn

John Glenn Test Pilot/NFO of the Year Award Recipients

Sponsored by:
GE Aviation

LtGen Hough

Michael Hough Acquistion Officer of the Year Award Recipients

Sponsored by:
Bell Helicopter

Aircrew Wings

Joyce/Leader Acquisition SNCO of the Year Award Recipients

Sponsored by:
L-3 Com

2011
Maj Richard Rusnok

LtCol Jason Maddocks

MSgt Chad Bigham

2010
LtCol Matt Kelly *

LtCol Steve Girard

GySgt Robert Wagner

2009
Maj John Ennis

LtCol Eldon Metzger *

GySgt Larone Thomas

2008
Maj Jack Perrin

LtCol Eric Ropella *

GySgt Alan Proctor

2007

Maj Justin Eggstaff

Maj Glen Lindstrom

GySgt Benjamin Gonzalez *

2006

Maj Henry Vanderborght

LtCol James Rector *

GySgt Daniel Hammer

2005

Maj Fred Schenk

LtCol Gregory Masiello

GySgt George Sieg

Individuals annotated with an asterisk received the Commandant of the Marine Corps' Award for Acquisition Excellence at the MCAA National Reunion and Symposium Awards Ceremony, first awarded in 2006.

The Test Pilot/NFO of the Year Award is named after Senator and retired Colonel John Glenn, our Squadron's name-sake, who attended Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland after the Korean War and tested numerous Marine and Navy aircraft to include the FJ3 Fury, F7F Cutlass, and F8U Crusader.

The Acquisition Officer of the Year Award is named after retired Lieutenant General Michael Hough, a seasoned F-4 and F/A-18 pilot, who served as the Director of the Joint Strike Fighter program from 1999 to 2001 and as the Deputy Commandant for Aviation from 2002 until his retirement in 2006.

The Acquisition SNCO of the Year Award is named in memory of Gunnery Sergeant Sean Joyce and Master Gunnery Sergeant Gary Leader who were crew chiefs aboard an MV-22 Osprey that crashed into the Potomac River during a demonstration flight on 20 July 1992, killing all seven crewmen.