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Stay prepared, even after inspections are over

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- Now that all the major inspections are over, there should be one thing that resonates with all of us, the satisfaction of a job well done and having all of them behind us. But before we move on to the next big issue on our schedule (and there will be one, I guarantee it), I ask that you reflect on what it took to prepare for, and be ready for, all three of these very diverse and difficult inspections. This took a lot of hard work by a lot of people to make sure our programs were up to speed, policy letters up-to-date and all our ancillary training was current.

I offer that the true lessons learned from this monumental effort should be our need for continued preparedness. If you look at the 62nd Airlift Wing's patch, you'll see the phrase "In Omnia Paratus" which in English means, "In All Things Prepared." This should be a challenge to all of us to venture to live this motto every day. Throughout the year, we have self-inspection programs and staff assistance visits for the express purpose of verifying everything in our duty section is current and meets Air Force directives. But even after doing this, we still had a lot of work to do before the inspection teams arrived on station.

If you are part of a self-inspection team, make sure you are extremely thorough and tough in your assessment. If you are a supervisor, don't let programs die on the vine only to breathe life into them six months before a scheduled inspection. If we all do our part to make sure our programs are up-to-date and in compliance, the preparation for inspections will be minimal. Let's all strive to ensure that our recurring training is always current, that our shots are up-to-date and that we're always prepared to answer our nation's call. Investing a little bit of time each day to ensure we're always ready will pay huge dividends for all of us in the future.