HILL AIR FORCE BASE — Team Hill, the hour is upon us.
Nearly 200 inspectors from Air Force Materiel Command will be here from Oct. 27-Nov. 10 to evaluate how well AFMC units, and other Team Hill partners, conduct our vital national defense mission.
As the Air Base Wing commander, I have seen “great people doing great things” across this installation. I am excited for the inspectors to witness the same greatness as they visit with each of you, whether that is in person or via a ‘virtual’ inspection of your programs.
We have prepared ourselves through self-inspections, checklists and our regular hard work. But, no matter how hard we work, the inspectors will note discrepancies. I would like to encourage you all to work through any findings and look at them as opportunities to improve now and in the future. If we can fix a finding on the spot, we need to fix it. If there is a disagreement about how to fix it, don’t argue with an inspector. Be respectful and push the issue up through your chain of command.
The inspectors will grade us in four major graded areas to determine how well we execute our mission, manage our resources, lead our people and improve our units. We cannot succeed in any of these areas alone. To borrow a football analogy from former Oklahoma State Cowboys and Dallas Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson, no one player or coach can win the game. It takes all the players on the field and all the coaches on the staff and every person in the administrative offices for a team to have success. It’s the same for Team Hill.
A successful inspection, like a deployment or any other military mission, is the ultimate team event. Each of us needs to be invested for the team to be successful. We should all approach each question, each scenario, each encounter with the inspectors with enthusiasm and attention to detail. Your teammates are counting on you.
We are ready, and I am excited. We welcome the inspectors to Team Hill and the opportunity to demonstrate that we can count on each other and our Air Force and America can, “Count on Us!”
