Mark McCullins, the chief test pilot at the Airbus in the U.S. Manufacturing Facility, has received a high honor for his service in the Canadian Air Force. Mark was awarded The Chief of the Defense Staff Commendation (roughly equivalent to a U.S. Joint Service Commendation Medal) for his leadership in Afghanistan after the unexpected closure of a base there led to the need for his Tactical Airlift Unit to relocate all aircraft and personnel to a new location in a very short period of time, while ensuring Canada and its allies received uninterrupted tactical support in the region. At the time Mark was the commanding officer of a tactical airlift unit flying C130 aircraft in combat operations in Southeast Asia and Afghanistan.
While presenting Mark with the commendation citation and award at the manufacturing facility in front of Mark’s family and co-workers, Colonel Connor of the Royal Canadian Air Force, recognized the unit’s, “…reputation for being reliable, flexible and innovative, as well as delivering consistently outstanding airlift support.”
