Two members of Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe were presented with Airmen Committed to Excellence coins here recently.
Mandy Smith-Nethercott, USAFE Services chief of marketing, and Stephen Mulligan, Air Forces Europe senior intelligence analyst, were presented with the coins by Gen. Robert H. “Doc” Foglesong, USAFE commander, during a HQ USAFE safety call April 14.
“The ACE award is another way, in addition to formal recognition programs, to recognize USAFE Airmen for their hard work and extreme dedication to the Air Force mission,” said General Foglesong during the safety call. “These two individuals pour their heart and soul into the job every day. They are the epitome of service before self, and their commitment to excellence is evident in everything they do.”
For Ms. Smith-Nethercott, that commitment has catapulted USAFE Services to the forefront. Her positive coverage of USAFE Services events and combat and special interest programs such as Project CHEER, Combat Fitness and Project Wizard, is instrumental in increasing opportunities for USAFE Airmen to increase morale while broadening their horizons.
In addition, as a dedication liaison with the United Services Organization, Ms. Smith-Nethercott consistently promoted the morale of USAFE’s Airmen with visits and support from national entertainers such as LeAnn Rimes, Robin Williams, Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey.
Humbled with the attention, Ms. Smith-Nethercott said her selection as an ACE award recipient is a direct reflection of the teamwork within USAFE Services.
“I was really excited and totally overwhelmed; I had no idea that I was going to be receiving the award,” she said. “I’m very honored and surprised, but at the same time (this award) is really a reflection of our entire services team.
“Everyone here pitches in and has a hand in getting the job done – we work as a team,” she continued. “I’m just doing my job, and this award recognizes our hard work as a team.”
Hard work is something that Mr. Mulligan also knows a little something about. As a senior intelligence analyst, his spot-on assessments of major political-military events are crucial in keeping the USAFE commander and his staff informed on world events, and it’s a job he takes seriously.
“He’s nearly 100 percent accurate in his assessments … it’s actually a bit eerie,” said Col. James Poss, USAFE Director of Intelligence. “He accurately analyzed political flare-ups in Georgia, the Ukraine and more recently last month in Kyrgyzstan. He’s had the timing, the major players and the results identified weeks before they happened.”
But, one event that Mr. Mulligan wasn’t able to predict was receiving the coin.
“I did not know that General Foglesong planned to present me with an ACE award, or even that I had been recommended for any type of special recognition,” he said. “Having COMUSAFE recognize me for my professional contribution to the command was an honor … I’m grateful to my chain of command for pushing my contributions up to the commander for his consideration, and to General Foglesong for taking time from his schedule to recognize me.”
The ACE award consists of a medallion the size of a Texan belt buckle and is engraved with the recipient’s name and sequentially numbered by order. Since the coin’s inception in October 2003, only 41 coins have been presented.
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News for the Ramstein, Kaiserslautern, Landstuhl & Baumholder military communities in Germany 
Two members of Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe were presented with Airmen Committed to Excellence coins here recently.
Mandy Smith-Nethercott, USAFE Services chief of marketing, and Stephen Mulligan, Air Forces Europe senior intelligence analyst, were presented with the coins by Gen. Robert H. “Doc” Foglesong, USAFE commander, during a HQ USAFE safety call April 14.
“The ACE award is another way, in addition to formal recognition programs, to recognize USAFE Airmen for their hard work and extreme dedication to the Air Force mission,” said General Foglesong during the safety call. “These two individuals pour their heart and soul into the job every day. They are the epitome of service before self, and their commitment to excellence is evident in everything they do.”
For Ms. Smith-Nethercott, that commitment has catapulted USAFE Services to the forefront. Her positive coverage of USAFE Services events and combat and special interest programs such as Project CHEER, Combat Fitness and Project Wizard, is instrumental in increasing opportunities for USAFE Airmen to increase morale while broadening their horizons.
In addition, as a dedication liaison with the United Services Organization, Ms. Smith-Nethercott consistently promoted the morale of USAFE’s Airmen with visits and support from national entertainers such as LeAnn Rimes, Robin Williams, Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey.
Humbled with the attention, Ms. Smith-Nethercott said her selection as an ACE award recipient is a direct reflection of the teamwork within USAFE Services.
“I was really excited and totally overwhelmed; I had no idea that I was going to be receiving the award,” she said. “I’m very honored and surprised, but at the same time (this award) is really a reflection of our entire services team.
“Everyone here pitches in and has a hand in getting the job done – we work as a team,” she continued. “I’m just doing my job, and this award recognizes our hard work as a team.”
Hard work is something that Mr. Mulligan also knows a little something about. As a senior intelligence analyst, his spot-on assessments of major political-military events are crucial in keeping the USAFE commander and his staff informed on world events, and it’s a job he takes seriously.
“He’s nearly 100 percent accurate in his assessments … it’s actually a bit eerie,” said Col. James Poss, USAFE Director of Intelligence. “He accurately analyzed political flare-ups in Georgia, the Ukraine and more recently last month in Kyrgyzstan. He’s had the timing, the major players and the results identified weeks before they happened.”
But, one event that Mr. Mulligan wasn’t able to predict was receiving the coin.
“I did not know that General Foglesong planned to present me with an ACE award, or even that I had been recommended for any type of special recognition,” he said. “Having COMUSAFE recognize me for my professional contribution to the command was an honor … I’m grateful to my chain of command for pushing my contributions up to the commander for his consideration, and to General Foglesong for taking time from his schedule to recognize me.”
The ACE award consists of a medallion the size of a Texan belt buckle and is engraved with the recipient’s name and sequentially numbered by order. Since the coin’s inception in October 2003, only 41 coins have been presented.