CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Looking good so far ... and practice makes perfect.
We ended last week with a wing-wide mobility exercise. As I walked around, I saw people working hard and staying motivated. I saw Airmen taking pride in what they were doing, who were demonstrating our Air Force Core Value, excellence in all we do.
We stood up the installation control center and the group and unit control centers to practice contingency mobilization. We successfully processed 334 Airmen, approximately 290 short tons of our own cargo and worked 12 C-17 chalks. This was another important step on the road to being ready for our Operational Readiness Inspection in August.
We are improving with each exercise. We have already improved some of our processes and how we all can come together -- active-duty, Reserve and civilians -- to get people and equipment to the area of responsibility as tasked. However, there is always room for improvement -- so if you see an opportunity, elevate it up your chain of command. We're always looking for ways to improve efficiency.
As we continue to prepare for the ORI, I charge each of you to "put on your game face." Treat these practice runs as if they were real-world. Take what you do and how you perform your individual taskings seriously.
I have no doubt our motivated Airmen will do well in the ORI and, as I said before, I think we do it better here than anyone else ... and if you need more proof, keep reading!
Congratulations to those Team Charleston individuals and units who received great news last week. The 437th Logistics Readiness Squadron won the 2007 Gen. Thomas P. Garrity Award for the Best Overall Unit in Air Mobility Command and Maj. Stevan Kaighen, 437 LRS, won the individual award; Airman 1st Class Michael Dunnigan, 437th Civil Engineer Squadron, won the AMC Military Firefighter of the Year Award; and Staff Sgt. Stacy Pearsall, 1st Combat Camera Squadron, was named the Military Photographer of the Year by the Department of Defense, in addition to winning first place honors in the DOD Combat Documentation, Picture Story, Feature Story, Portrait Personality and Pictorial categories.
The awards keep rolling in as members of Team Charleston continue to prove we are the premier airlift wing in the Air Force. Awesome! You make me proud to be your commander.
Also, I would like to congratulate the graduates of Airman Leadership School Class 08-C. You have worked hard and are now prepared to assume new roles as supervisors and leaders in your respective units. I am extremely proud of each of you and wish you continued success in your careers.
And finally, as we are counting down to the August ORI, I will continue to encourage you to strive for excellence. You have done well, but there is still room for improvement. You have set the bar high, now let's set it even higher. Our goal is to perfect our processes -- practice makes perfect!
Team Charleston - Take the Fight to the Enemy!