![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Stephen-D.-Keck--1024x1024.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe CSAF chose Major Keck as the recipient of the\nprestigious recognition for his leadership and skill as an Airman, according to\nthe notification provided to the NAA. The CSAF said, \u201cAs Weapons Assistant\nDirector of Operations and Evaluator Pilot, 335th Expeditionary Fighter\nSquadron, Undisclosed Location, Southwest Asia, 16 June 2022, Major Keck was\nthe Defensive Counter-Air Team Lead, supporting a special operations team in\ncontested enemy territory.\u201d He continued, \u201cDuring this mission, Major Keck identified\nand corrected a critical error during ingress that would have given away the\nTask Force\u2019s position. Additionally, Major Keck identified an adversary\naircraft in the contested airspace and initiated an intercept to ensure the\nsafety of ground forces. With Major Keck\u2019s exemplary leadership, this operation\nresulted in the capture of a senior Islamic State leader.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMajor Keck\u2019s inspiring actions reflect exactly what it\ntakes to be a stellar Airman and aviator \u2013 ingenuity, tenacity, and audacity,\u201d\nsaid Chief of the Air Force General David W. Allvin. \u201cMoreover, any time your\nname is on a trophy alongside the likes of Hap Arnold, Eddie Rickenbacker, and\nChuck Yeager, you have done something truly special.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1911, Clarence H. Mackay commissioned the Mackay Army\nAviation Cup for the Aero Club of America, known today as the NAA. The cup is\nnow widely known as the Mackay Trophy. The silver Art Nouveau trophy, crafted\nby Tiffany and Company, features four depictions of Nike, the winged Greek\ngoddess of victory, holding the Wright Military Flyer and is awarded to the\nmost meritorious flight of the year in military aviation. The USAF and the NAA\npresent the trophy annually. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m honored and humbled to be receiving the 2022 MacKay\nTrophy,\u201d said Major Keck. \u201cThe men and women I worked with during the specific\nmission outlined in the announcement were incredible warriors who represent the\nbest our military has to offer. All of their hard work in preparation for and\nexecution of the mission made that night successful. When I read up on past\nrecipients of the MacKay Trophy, some of the names jumped out right away. I\nhonestly don\u2019t think I deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as some of\nthem but am happy to have contributed to the success of the Air Force to earn a\nspot among those elite aviators.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMajor Keck\u2019s recognition from the USAF aligns him with many\nof the most heroic acts of aviation in our history,\u201d said Amy Spowart,\nPresident and CEO, NAA. \u201cFrom legends like Hap Arnold and Robin Olds to\noutstanding crews like DRACO 42, his name is now synonymous with many of the\nmost extraordinary Airmen in history.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Mackay Trophy will be presented by General Allvin to\nMajor Keck at Nellis Air Force Base in January.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) has announced that Major Stephen D. \u201cAli\u201d Keck, USAF, is the recipient of the 2022 Mackay Trophy. The Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force (CSAF) names the honoree of the award, which the NAA administers. The CSAF chose Major Keck as the recipient of the prestigious recognition […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[115],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-national-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27350"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27352,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27350\/revisions\/27352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}