CW5 Willis J. Haas, 4th Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Germany

The Army Aviation Association of America (AAAA) has announced its Calendar Year 2004 National Award Winners. Winning units and individuals are being recognized at the AAAA Annual Convention, being held this week, May 9-11, 2005, in Orlando, Fla. The AAAA Annual Convention provides an opportunity for its members to gather with government and industry representatives concerned with Army Aviation and participate in the professional program and exhibits.

The first AAAA Annual Convention was held in June 1959 and has taken place every year since then. In recent years, the sites of the AAAA Annual Convention have included Atlanta, Ga.; Fort Worth, Texas and Nashville, Tenn.

Chief Warrant Officer 5 Willis J. Haas is recognized for his incredible accomplishments as the safety officer of the 4th Bde. (Aviation) while deployed to the Al Sahra Airfield at Forward Operating Base Speicher, Tikrit, Iraq. Upon arriving at FOB Speicher, CW5 Haas found an extraordinary number of safety issues that affected all areas of air and ground operations. He quickly established an airfield safety council, identified known and potential hazards and prioritized work orders to eliminate them. As the Airfield Safety Officer, Haas actively participated in the Mayor's Cell and long range planning meetings to work actions and improvements to facilities and infrastructure to correct safety issues and implement preventive measures. He worked hundreds of problems to resolution, to include: safer living accommodations for all Soldiers, repairs and upgrades to the shelled-out air traffic control tower, landing pads for helicopters, and repairs and improvements to the 10,000-foot long runways. He was instrumental in producing and publishing the Al Sahra Airfield standard operating procedures. He conducted staff assistance visits, briefed incoming unit leaders, and mentored numerous units including UAV units to help them sustain their safety programs.

Largely due to his efforts, the Al Sahra airbase is today capable of supporting C-17 Globe Master (shown above) and heavy transport aircraft and has established an Airfield Departure and Arrival Control Group. As a result of CW5 Haas's hard work and actions, his brigade has flown over 24,500 combat hours during OIF II with no Class A accidents and only one Class B aviation accident.

FMI: www.quad-a.org