RMG members win MAJCOM awards 4/23/2013 - ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga.  -- Staff Sgt. Ryan Laney and Sam Cothron in the Readiness Management Group here got some good news last week.  Laney was on his way to physical training when received surprising news that he had just snagged Air Force Reserve Command's A1 Force Support NCO of the Year award for 2012.   "I was in shock and thanking God," recalled Laney, the noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the RMG's Training Management Branch here, when he received the news he won. Laney wasn't the only one in complete shock over the award news; RMG's assignment technician, Sam Cothron, experienced something similar the next day. "I was on leave when the commander announced the award recipients," recalled Cothron. "When I returned to work on Friday, everyone was congratulating me and I had no clue why." With a shocked expression on his face, someone told him to check his email and there it was --Cothron grabbed AFRC/A1's Specialist of the Year for 2012. "I was humbled and appreciative of all the support received from my teammates and leadership," said Cothron, who provides in and outbound assignment support to 15 geographically separated RMG detachments, base IMA administrators and active duty units while servicing our IRs. Moreover, since he received the news on a Friday, Cothron admitted, "It was a great start to the day and weekend." This is not the 24-year veteran's first time around the award-recognition block for 2012. One could equate him to the three-peat Green Bay Packers in 1965-1967 as Cothron, who came to the RMG in 2011, won three rings as well - recognized as RMG's Civilian of the Quarter for 2012, coined by Lt. Gen. James F. Jackson, commander of the Air Force Reserve Command, and now, received an AFRC/A1 award. Although the news surprised both winners, their supervisors were not. "Receiving this award is in direct proportion to Cothron's commitment to the mission, team and himself," said Senior Master Sgt. Laura Wilson, superintendent of RMG assignments. "He's a humble servant and handles each project as carefully as the handling of a newborn baby...I'm not surprised he won." "Through my 30-year affiliation with the Air Force, Laney is truly one of the sharpest NCOs I have had the pleasure to work with," said John Glenn, the RMG training superintendent. One of five active-duty RMG members, Laney retrained from security forces into the Education and Training career field. He came to the RMG in September 2010. The NCOIC performs personnel classification and training duties for more than 7,800 Individual Reservists at 211 locations around the world. Additionally, Laney reviews, validates, approves and updates assignment actions, acquisitions and other formal school certifications for IR members. Another person not surprised by the news was the director of RMG personnel, Lt. Col. Chuck Pittman. "They are the best in the business and have a keen focus on providing world-class customer service," Pittman said of the two award recipients. The RMG's mission is to seamlessly integrate wartime-ready Individual Reserve forces to meet Air Force and Combatant Commander requirements.