914th Officer earns national award

Published Sept. 15, 2010
By Senior Airman Andrew Caya
914th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station -- A 914th Airlift Wing Officer earned a prestigious award from a reputable national organization, September 14 at a gala dinner near Buffalo, NY.
Captain Gina Pizziconi-Cupples, the 914th Logistics Readiness Squadron plans director earned the Girl Scouts of USA highest recognition: The Girl Scouts of Western New York's 2010 Women of Distinction Award for the Armed Services Category.

Pizziconi-Cupples was one of nine women honored at the event held at Salvatore's Italian Gardens in Depew, New York.
Although not a Girl Scout in her youth, this award was a very wonderful decoration for Pizziconi-Cupples.
"This is a tremendous honor," said Pizziconi-Cupples. "The Girl Scouts offer an opportunity for young ladies to be involved in their communities, make great friends and begin professional relationships. The Girl Scouts basically begin to build a foundation that translates to what the Air Force defines as core values; Integrity, Service and Excellence."

Pizziconi-Cupples continued.

"I think it is critical for young people to develop these skills as well as a sense of commitment to community much earlier than what might be taking place today," She said. "From my perspective, the Girl Scouts serve as a platform to build up these core values, and allow the Scouts to do so in a fun environment."

She was nominated for her work in the United States Air Force including Process Improvement Initiatives that the 914th Airlift Wing has benefitted from in the past 12-15 months.

"We dedicated our resources to a number of areas that required attention to better serve our Airmen;" she said "They included, but were not limited to, newcomers [in-processing], inspection preparation, methods to track, record, trend Ancillary Training, AFSC Training and the Physical Exam Process."

Attesting to the work and that Pizziconi-Cupples and the eight other women have completed, The Girl Scouts of Western New York Chief Executive Officer Cindy Odom offered only compliments.

"Key to our mission is to provide Western New York Girl Scouts with extraordinary opportunities to interact with and be mentored by exemplary women leaders," She said. "Our class of 2010 Women of Distinction honorees exceed this objective in every way."

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