Joint Base Charleston
Patriot Vol. 2, No. 40
Team Charleston – One Family, One Mission, One Fight!
Friday, October 14, 2011
Team Charleston Airman reaches new APEX milestone By Staff Sgt. Kali Gradishar 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey – In August 2009, Staff Sgt. Nathan Dunn hit a major milestone as the first C-17 Globemaster III aerial port expeditor to reach 500 cargo loads. Dunn reached another landmark as he doubled that figure Oct. 3 with his 1,000th load under the APEX program. "Today I loaded my 1,000th C-17 as an APEX director ... I wanted to get to 1,000; and I wanted to do that here," said Dunn, who volunteered to deploy to the 728th Air Mobility Squadron from the 437th Aerial Port Squadron at Joint Base Charleston, S.C. To increase productivity time, the APEX program was launched in October 2006 as an initiative to allow aircraft to be loaded and unloaded without the supervision of the loadmaster. "APEX is a program we have in the Air Force that helps aircrew get to crew rest quicker while we load and unload aircraft without a loadmaster," said Master Sgt. Mark Lee, 728th AMS superintendent of air freight. "As long as we have an APEX person on site, we can unload and load an aircraft." APEX directors are in demand. APEX Airmen are spread between four major commands and 11 locations worldwide, noted the master sergeant. Dunn was one of the first Airmen to enter the APEX program, graduating from the training program in May 2007. Training consists of two weeks in the classroom reviewing operational risk management, aircraft characteristics, load planning, weight balance, aircraft limitations and winching procedures. The final week entailed hands-on training on the aircraft. The Charleston Port Dawgs were the first personnel to test the "Deployed APEX" at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey in 2007. Dunn, then a Senior Airman, was one of the four individuals chosen for the test. Since then he has deployed to Incirlik three more times. His achievement of 1,000 APEX loads is a significant milestone not only for the Air Mobility Command, but also for the 437th ALW. "It doesn't surprise me at all that Dunn accomplished this incredible feat," said 1st Lt. Edward Yearage, 437th APS Ramp Operations flight commander. "He is a hard charger and understands the importance of mission accomplishment. This is just another example of the importance of what Port Dawgs contribute to the mission and what kind of impact our Airmen have on this war and global mobility support." Approximately four years after graduating from the program, Dunn is now an instructor for the hands-on portion when in-garrison- which is a rarity for the sergeant as he's on his fourth six-month rotation here since August 2007, he said. "I'm here out of cycle. There was another person Charleston, SC who was supposed to come here but had an assignment and would have missed his (report for duty Friday, October 14 date). So I raised my hand to volunteer to go in his Sunny place," said Dunn. "I also knew that if I didn't come (0% precip) here, I wouldn't reach 1,000. "Work ebbs and flows. The first time I was here, High 80º we were doing 12 launches a day during the surge Low 54º in Iraq," Dunn recalled. "Since that's died down, we're still supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, Saturday, October 15 but we're (doing less)." Sunny "This is an ongoing mission to support (0% precip) Afghanistan. A lot of times you only hear 'Afghanistan, Afghanistan, Afghanistan,'" said Lee. High 79º "Incirlik is in it, too. We're getting the warfighter Low 52º material to the warfighter downrange." Lee credited Dunn for being a hard-charging APEX Airman and jeered his insistence on being Sunday, October 16 humble. Sunny "What's fun about our career field is we can be pret(0% precip) ty gung-ho ... We like our jobs. (Dunn) likes doing his job - 100 degree heat and he doesn't care," Lee said. High 80º "He's great at what he does. He's got so many coins, Low 55º he'd beep going through a metal detector."
ORI 12-01C: Are you Ready?
INSIDE FITNESS FESTIVAL
By Lt. Col. Steve Noll 437th Airlift Wing Lead ORI planner
628th CES takes the prize See page 13
GOING SOLAR Galley cuts energy costs See page 6
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Awareness Month See page 8
U.S. Air Force photo / Senior Airman Clayton Lenhardt
Staff Sgt. Nathan Dunn, 728th Air Mobility Squadron, is soaked with water to celebrate his 1,000th load as an aerial port expeditor Oct. 3, 2011, at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. Dunn is the first APEX Airman to reach this milestone. The APEX program allows cargo to be loaded onto aircraft without a loadmaster. Dunn is deployed from the 437th Aerial Port Squadron. See more photos, Page 5.
Forty-four days from today, Air Mobility Command inspector general inspectors will arrive at Joint Base Charleston for our Operational Readiness Inspection Nov. 29 through Dec. 6. For those unfamiliar with an Air Force ORI, it is an all-encompassing look at our ability to receive a (notional) deployment tasking, generate personnel and equipment and deploy and redeploy $1.2 billion of C-17 aircraft, crews, equipment and nearly 700 personnel to a forward operating base. This inspection, which occurs every three years, is our "report card" on our ability to deploy forces and operate in a threat environment. It is the first ORI for JB Charleston. Additionally, JB Charleston personnel will be required to function in mission oriented protective posture gear and respond to numerous simulated conventional and chemical threats. So, are you ready? What is readiness? I like to define it by three key areas: functional, physical, and mental readiness. Functional readiness is your ability to perform your job, whatever it is, to your utmost ability regardless of Air Force specialty code. This not only includes performing your
duties but also maintaining currency and preparedness like computer based training, circuit training, weapons qualification, etc. It is a high level of preparedness to be ready to deploy with little or no notice. Physical readiness is maintaining your body in a state to perform your duties regardless of environment. You will be asked to perform duties in chemical gear for two to three hours at the CRTC in Gulfport during the ORI. The best way to succeed is to keep your body in good physical condition to endure the additional stresses and heat. Finally, mental readiness is putting you mind in the correct attitude and mindset for the inspection. Act and react to ORI scenarios with a sense of urgency as if your safety was truly threatened. Also, keep your mind sharp and refer to checklists and procedures developed for scenarios, but most importantly, remember to "Fight the war, not the IG." Never, ever argue with IG inspectors, even if you are positive you are correct. Up-channel any issues or concerns with IG inspectors through your chain of command and allow deployed Wing leadership to address the issue with the IG Team Chief. So, what can you do to get ready for the ORI? First, make sure your deployment
requirements (shots, computer based training, qualifications, on-the job training records, etc.) are up to date and will remain current through Jan. 2012. Next, get with your unit deployment manager to complete monthly ORI Special Instructions testing, monthly Airman's Manual testing, circuit training, and mobility equipment sizing. Finally, read and understand three core ORI documents: AFP 10-100 Airman's Manual, AMC/IG Special Instructions, and the AMC/IG Simulations and Limitations. A majority of how you will be expected to act, react and perform during the ORI will be guided by these three documents. For those that aren't "lucky" enough to deploy to Gulfport for the ORI, be advised that AMC/IG inspectors will look at several items around JB Charleston prior to heading down to Gulfport. Items such as seatbelt and hands-free cell phone use on base will be observed. In fact, any safety practice violation observed by IG inspectors will be written up during the inspection. Therefore, all personnel on JB Charleston could fall under scrutiny by inspectors. We still have much work to do to be completely prepared for our upcoming ORI. So, I ask you ... are you ready?
ORI Tip of the Week Operational Readiness Inspection Countdown: 6 weeks
The blue tape stuck on the walls represents the 4 ft. splinter protection. The tape goes on the walls AFTER the sandbags are placed around the building. During and after an attack, be sure to REMAIN under that tape. This is to ensure proper protection against any possible UXOs that are outside of the facility. The 4 ft. rule expires once the building PAR teams run their routes and deem the area clear of UXOs."
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BLACK 01/29/08