Attitude equals ORI success

  • Published
  • By Col. Dave Parr
  • 65th Air Base Wing vice commander
LAJES FIELD, Azores --  Many Airmen across the base have stopped and asked what they can do to make sure they are ready for the upcoming Operational Readiness Inspection.

The Inspector General's team from U.S. Air Forces in Europe will arrive on the island Sept. 11, 2011. My answer to each Airman is always the same, "We can be excellent as individuals, but we can only be outstanding as a team."

Having said that, your preparation must begin with your personal individual preparation.

This means no detail is too small to check and re-check for 100 percent compliance. For example, if you have dependents on base, your Non-Combatant Evacuation folder must be 100 percent complete and ready.

Additionally, if you are one of our more than 160 potential deployers that could exercise a deployment during the ORI, your personal mobility bag must be in total compliance with all required items on the packing list--99 percent is simply not good enough. Your deployment folder also must be 100 percent updated with a current Leave and Earnings Statement, dog tags, and all of the required training certificates and signatures.

Furthermore, familiarization with your Airman's Manual and studying the test bank of questions can also not be overlooked.

Potentially hundreds of Airmen from across the base will be given 30 minutes to take a multiple choice test, and although you can reference your Airman's Manual, the time limit can make this much more challenging if you haven't thoroughly studied and indexed your manual. If you have any questions as to whether or not you are individually ready, begin with these items mentioned here and get with your Unit Deployment Manager, your supervisor, superintendent, or commander. We are all here to ensure you do well, but preparation must begin with you, the individual, first.

Once you have prepared yourself, the harder challenge is to prepare your teams and squadrons for success. This means being a great Airman and dissecting all of your area's checklists and procedures to make sure they are 100 percent current. Table-top exercises and shop training can be very effective in uncovering areas needing correction. If you have outdated plans in your squadron, bring this to the attention of your supervisor immediately so he or she can make sure the guidance we are following is current and relevant.

The Warrior Days and wing exercises are great for uncovering systemic problem areas, but many of these issues should be fixed and updated before a wing exercise ever kicks off. Individual preparation is key, but teamwork is essential.

Last but not least, once you are prepared individually and you have adequately prepared your teams and squadrons, then the icing on the cake will be your attitude toward showing the USAFE Inspector General the true 'Lajes goodness'. This means having passion for what you do and working with drive and determination. During recalls, you need to safely, but with great hustle, report to your duty station. If you are walking with a lack of urgency, you are not giving the inspection 100 percent. Every briefing and contact with any of the inspectors should be very professional and with great enthusiasm.

Col. Rivera and all of us at Lajes look forward to showcasing the great folks we have here at the 65th Air Base Wing, but teamwork, urgency, and attitude are required in order to have a truly outstanding inspection. Now ask yourself, "Am I individually ready, is my team ready, and do I have the right attitude?" If you can't positively answer yes to these three questions, the time to correct any shortfalls is right now! I thank you for what you do every day accomplishing this great mission; now let's go out there with renewed vigor and a passionate attitude and get ourselves and our teams ready for total success! 6-5 in the fight!

Feliciano is married and has one daughter and a stepson. He is very involved in the local community, especially in the area of sports. He is the president of the local Team Handball Association of Terceira Island and also plays handball games during the winter months.

Both Feliciano and his ancestors' commitment to the mission is just another example of a local family that has served in the wing for many years with dedication and pride.