CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
As we approach the upcoming fly-away mobility exercise and the operational readiness inspection in August, I have some tips on how to prepare you for the upcoming events.
We, as Airmen, should always be ready. But just in case you have not practiced in a while or looked through your Airman's Manual, I have some suggestions.
I recently had the opportunity to augment the Air Mobility Command inspector general team along with other members of Charleston AFB. We inspected two reserve units working closely together as one team, a lot like we will here at Team Charleston with our reserve counterparts. These are some of the things I observed as an inspector that I would like to pass on to you.
It does not matter what rank you are -- airman to colonel, active-duty or Reservist -- you have the same impact on the overall grade of the ORI as anyone else. Your enthusiasm and competence will affect the final outcome for the grade Team Charleston receives.
The number one bit of advice I could give to anyone is to be prepared for the inspection. You can start by being physically ready to work in a chemical environment. Out of the 20 people I was inspecting, five became dehydrated in minimal time and had to "damask," which means they had to take off their gas mask. You are probably thinking that is the easy way out, well it's not. You have to go to real-world medical and that takes you out of the fight. It also makes someone else pull your weight while you are being treated, plus it is a write-up on the unit. One thing you hear again and again when deployed is to hydrate, hydrate and hydrate one more time.
Self-aid buddy care is also vital to the success of the mission and you should practice and study this.
Take the time to study your Airman's Manual; you do not have to memorize it, but you do need to be very familiar with it. You should be able to find something in there in minimal time when asked a question from one of the inspectors. The things you need to have memorized are the different mission-oriented protective posture levels and what the different alarms mean. Remember we will be working under a Korean scenario, so know and understand what alarm blue means and what you should do.
This exercise revolves around the ability to survive and operate. When you are going into MOPP level 4, make sure you button all buttons, close your mask carrier, tie all ties and do your buddy checks. I know it sounds dumb, but practice putting on your MOPP gear at home or in the office. Remember, you only have two minutes to get from MOPP 2 to MOPP 4. This takes practice. This is the one thing that stood out to me more than anything.
Also know what bunkers you are assigned to and have accountability for yourself and others assigned to you.
These are just some of the things I wanted to share with you; I hope it helps you out in some manner.