TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- A student from Air Battle Manager Class 1612 at the 337th Air Control Squadron won a distinguished award June 8 for exemplary performance during their nine-month course.
Second Lt. Elizabeth McLamb earned the Top Graduate award for excellent academic performance. This award has more stringent requirements than the Distinguished Graduate award.
The Top Graduate award is named in memory of Air Force Col. Kevin “Jeep” Dunleavy, who died in 2007. During his distinguished 28 years on active duty in the Air Force, he became known for his expertise in fighter tactics, command and control, and air war planning. Among numerous and varied assignments, he served in the combat plans cell during Desert Storm and Desert Shield.
This award is meant to commemorate the example that Dunleavy left behind for all future officers in the Air Force.
“This award shows that a student is committed to the highest level of performance possible,” said Capt. Jose Tovar, 337th ACS air battle manager instructor and class commander for McLamb. “It also shows a level of consistency and performance that is not easily attained. For those who earn the Top Graduate award, this is their first chance to demonstrate meeting a higher expectation for performance for the squadrons that they will work with in the future.”
The requirements for the award involve the student finishing the course with the highest merit assignment selection system score and at least a 97 percent academic average, no additional training, no academic test or positional failures, a flight commander recommendation from all blocks of instruction and the concurrence of the student’s training directorate.
The students at the 337th ACS go through an eight-block course that last about nine months.
The course teaches students to complete command and control mission execution as air battle managers in a variety of weapons systems, in support of air expeditionary forces worldwide, and provide command and control support for the F-22 Raptor initial and transition training.
McLamb was born and raised in Statesville, North Carolina. In 2015, she graduated from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition and Dietetics. She commissioned from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Upon graduation from undergraduate air battle manager training, McLamb will be assigned to Robins AFB, Georgia.
“I feel honored and blessed to get the Top Grad award,” said McLamb. “I feel like it sets a standard for the rest of my career to excel in my performance as an officer.”