No flair, big award

CANNON AIR FORCE BASE — They don’t usually wear uniforms. They don’t identify themselves by rank. They don’t allow their photographs to be taken. Most of the time, they’re operating without a lot of public fanfare, and that’s the way they want it.

But in February, that veil of anonymity lifted a bit when OSI Detachment 224 — the Office of Special Investigations unit at Cannon — won the Air Force’s annual award for being the best small OSI detachment assigned to Air Combat Command.

OSI commander Robert LoMurro said that award came about because Cannon’s OSI dedicated itself to getting rid of a reputation that nobody in Cannon’s leadership wanted — some of the highest rankings for criminal activity in the Air Force.

In the official nominating paperwork, LoMurro cited achieving “awesome results at the crime capital of ACC” and turning his force into “a drug user’s nightmare” as reasons why he believed his unit deserved the award.

“I am unrelenting,” said LoMurro, who noted that Cannon has the second-highest rate of court-martials per capita in the Air Force.

“OSI has done a great job of cleaning up Dodge,” said Capt. Mike Nachshen, chief of public affairs at Cannon. “We have zero tolerance for criminal behavior and thanks to the hard work of OSI, other base agencies and leaders across the wing, Cannon is no longer ACC’s crime capital.”

Knocking the statistic down to second isn’t good enough for LoMurro, who said he’s like a pit bull when it comes to investigating crime in the military, and pushes his investigators to follow his lead. The OSI’s antiterrorism and investigative missions require developing good relations with off-base civilian police agencies, LoMurro said — and in New Mexico, that means working to keep drugs out.

“This part of New Mexico is considered a drug corridor and since our families live within the community, we do our best to interdict drugs and people who use them,” LoMurro said. “I would say 98 percent of Air Force members are dedicated to the values of the Air Force, but there are a few bad apples who exist and we want to separate them from the Air Force.”

While drug investigations take up a great deal of time, LoMurro said his unit won the award not just because of its war on drugs but also because of its successful counterterrorism work while deployed. The Cannon OSI staff provided base security to an air base used in the attack on Iraq. While LoMurro said he could provide few details, he said OSI personnel successfully discovered and prevented a truck bomb attack on the base.

Back at home, OSI investigators who didn’t think all the pieces fit began an investigation that led to the civilian conviction of enlisted airman Alesia Thomas in the death of her infant child, and also did a contract audit that uncovered serious problems in a new building being built on base.

LoMurro said even back in the office, a Cannon OSI technical sergeant has developed a computerized crime tracking system that is being reviewed by the Pentagon for possible use throughout the Air Force.

LoMurro said that just in 2003, OSI investigations led to 13 court-martials in which 12 people were convicted, leading to five dishonorable discharges, seven bad conduct discharges, more than 27 years of confinement, and $378,000 in pay forfeitures.

“I love my job,” LoMurro said. “You will deploy and do things you read about in books and go out on missions and realize you are doing the things you read about.”

While the OSI unit spends its time digging up things that could embarrass Cannon, base commander Col. Robert Yates said he values the work of OSI and was glad it won the award for its diligence.

“This award is another way of expressing Cannon’s ‘lethality,’” Yates said. “I congratulate Special Agent LoMurro and his office for their hard work and cooperation with base and local agencies to make Cannon among the healthiest environments for enjoying life and raising Air Force families. They richly deserve this award.”