NAVAL AIR STATION JOINT RESERVE BASE FORT WORTH, Texas (Oct. 20, 2014) -- The “Cowboys” of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 112 accepted the Secretary of the Navy’s Safety Excellence Award for Marine Corps Reserve Aviation Safety in a ceremony held at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., Oct. 20, 2014. The squadron, which is attached to the headquarters group, Marine Aircraft Group 41, accepted the award via teleconference from the squadron’s location at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth.
Each year, the Secretary of the Navy chooses award recipients from Navy and Marine Corps commands that achieve exceptional safety performance during the previous year.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Safety Paul Hanley presented the award to VMFA-112’s commanding officer, Lt. Col. Thomas Ready. Also in attendance were Col. Tray Ardese, commanding officer, MAG 41, Maj. Kevin Szepe, VMFA-112’s operations officer and the squadron’s operational safety officer during the year for which the award was given.
“We are honored to receive this recognition of the great work by our squadron that has gone into this success,” said Ready. “We are dedicated to working in a way that is safe and operationally sound, and with the mission in mind.”
VMFA-112’s focus on mission safety resulted in zero mishaps during fiscal year 2013.
“The safety accomplishments of today’s award recipients are evidence of their mission safety cultures and commitment to safety excellence,” said Hanley. “We want to put the focus on doing things right. When we cut corners it costs us in productivity and ultimately costs us in lives.”
The squadron received a citation from the Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, a plaque with the Department of the Navy’s seal and the Secretary of the Navy’s Safety Excellence flag. The flag is to be flown by VMFA-112 as a symbol of the squadron’s achievement through October 2015.
“This award is great motivation for us to keep up our excellence in safety into next year and beyond,” said Ready. “The key to our continued success is establishing a culture of safety, where everyone is alert and feels empowered to voice their concerns to the leadership so we can make changes if necessary.”