20th FW prepares for ORI Published April 14, 2009 By Tech. Sgt. Kevin Williams 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- With the Operational Readiness Inspection quickly approaching, the 20th Fighter Wing is taking steps to make sure all its members are ready to shine. Lt. Col. Marc Dauteuil, 20th Fighter Wing Plans and Inspections chief, said Shaw has improved a lot since the Operational Readiness Exercise last January, but there is still room to grow and certain areas must be improved on if Shaw is to succeed in the ORI. "We're going to go through a lot of preparation in May," he said. "There is a wing-wide (Ability To Survive and Operate) training May 1 in Hangar 1200 and at another location to be determined later. The goal is to provide refresher training to the 2,000 Airmen participating in the ORI." According to Col. Dauteuil, the training is set up like a huge ATSO "circuit training day." Airmen will go from one station to another going over topics and scenarios like covering a vehicle, steps taken if a computer is infected with a virus, post attack reconnaissance sweep actions and other areas crucial to the ORI. "May 6 is a transition day practice and May 7 is a warm-up for the exercise minus the (transition area)," Col. Dauteuil said. "May 10 is a dress-rehearsal for the IG arrival and then we'll go into the ORE May 11-13. Then we'll do it all again beginning June 5 for the inspection itself." Even though day-to-day operations will be fairly hectic and stressful leading up to the ORI, Col. Dauteuil stressed how important each Airman is in the big picture. "Every Airman is a sensor," he said. "Reporting (unexploded ordnances), self-aid and buddy care and reporting suspicious activity are all extremely important and rank has no precedence when it comes to those duties. The last thing we want is for an Airman to receive his first inject card during the ORI." Another area Airmen must be cognizant of is radio discipline. "Think about what you're going to say, key the radio, say it and get off," Col. Dauteuil said. "Don't key the radio unless you know what you're going to say. We need to keep those lines open." He also stressed the importance of operational security. "It's not classified information that's been hurting us," he said. "We need to shred 100 percent of the paperwork or store it appropriately. Our biggest issues have been finding paperwork with privacy act information displayed, maintenance notes and times and location of personnel and events." The 20th FW can jump out to a good start by providing a great first impression. One way is to keep things standardized across the wing. "We need to make sure every unit is following common procedures the exact same way," Col. Dauteuil said. "If the IG sees the logistics readiness squadron doing something the same way they just saw the civil engineers do it a few hours ago, it will definitely leave a good impression. And first impressions are always important, for the same reason, we need to make sure we are on the ball during the transition day. These are the first graded events the IG will see, so we need to knock them out of the park" "I am confident in the wing's ability to shine during the ORI," said Col. Joseph Guastella, 20th FW commander. "I have seen our Airmen do some amazing things. Their focus and determination is very impressive. I know they can step up to the challenge and impress the inspectors. I truly appreciate all the sacrifices Airmen are making in preparation for the inspection and I know it will pay off in the end." According to leadership, as long as Airmen take their training seriously, maintain focus and keep a positive attitude, Shaw will perform very well.