Sharks win Herres Award, rise above the rest Published May 15, 2007 By Brig. Gen. Susan Helms 45th Space Wing commander PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Accolades continue to pour in for the 45th Space Wing Sharks. I was truly honored to receive the prestigious Herres and Space Safety Awards on your behalf April 27 at the Air Force Space Command Commanders' Conference. The Herres Award recognizes the best space wing with a space mission. You earned it by executing the most dynamic, airtight and far-reaching spacelift, range and expeditionary ops in the command. The buck stops here at the 45th Space Wing: The World's Premier Gateway to Space! And given that we brought home the Schriever Trophy from the 2006 Guardian Challenge last spring, the Sharks now own the two most prestigious trophies an Air Force space wing can have. No doubt about it -- the Sharks are simply the best. The space safety award puts the spotlight on our sterling track record in the way of assuring safe access to space for critical civil, commercial and national security payloads. Our safety team works around the clock to ensure missiles and space vehicles launched on the Eastern Range never threaten American civilian communities or foreign soil. During the award period, they reviewed, approved and safely conducted approximately 1,000 hazardous ops per month - including the regular handling of cryogenic and hypergolic propellants. And there's more ... Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Griffin, one of our base firefighters, is AFSPC's Outstanding NCO of the Year! The list goes on, as there are other awards constantly coming in. These honors are well-deserved marks of excellence. They substantiate the value of what you bring to the table in defense our nation. It is a great boost to be recognized for your work and nobody deserves it more than you do. Go Sharks!