438's "Thunder Lab" to represent ACC for Chief of Staff Team Excellence award

Published June 26, 2011
By Capt. Jamie Humphries
438th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

KABUL, Afghanistan -- The Thunder Lab, an English immersion lab for Afghan lieutenants, has been selected as one of two teams to represent Air Combat Command for the 2011 Chief of Staff Team Excellence award.

The award recognizes teams that used a systematic approach to enhance mission capability, improve operational performance and create sustained results.

The lab will now compete at the Air Force level with winners scheduled to be announced by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz this fall.

Just over a year old, the lab was the brainchild of Col. Greg Rice, then vice commander of the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing. Thunder Lab is a program located on the Afghan Air Force compound and aims to improve the English, aviation and professional skills of Afghan officers awaiting pilot training.

At the lab, the Afghans and instructors conduct physical fitness, study conversational English, improve their vocabulary and study topics relating to aviation such as mathematics, science and meteorology.

"The Thunder Lab environment is bigger than just a 24/7 English language immersion environment; it is more importantly a leadership and professional development lab. One of the main goals of the Thunder Lab is to help professionalize the Afghan Air Force. This environment provides a great opportunity to instill that sense of professionalism in its future leaders," said Lt. Col. Daryl Sassaman, Commander of the Thunder Lab. "It is a great honor to be considered for this award, but at the end of the day, we've already succeeded because we've made a substantial impact in the development of a professional, fully independent and operationally-capable Afghan Air Force."

To date, 35 students have already traveled to the states for their follow-on Defense Language Institute training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas with some slated for follow-on pilot training at Fort Rucker, Ala.

According to officials, since the lab opened, instructors have seen English comprehension scores improve by 20 percent with students needing much less time to meet basic English requirements at DLI than previous students who didn't attend the lab.

During a visit in January, General Schwartz said he was impressed by the contributions to the mission by the coalition advisors at the Thunder Lab.

"I'm inspired by what is going on here," General Schwartz said. "Clearly, they are reaching the young Afghans who aspire to be professional airmen and who will serve their country well."

The lab will dedicate their presentation to Lt. Col. Frank Bryant and other NATO Training Command - Afghanistan members killed on base April 27. The colonel was a part-time mentor at the lab and a member of the team being considered for the award.