507th/137th ARW association leads by example

  • Published
  • 507th Air Refueling Wing
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Oklahoma --  A joint effort between the 507th Air Refueling Wing and the 137th Air Refueling Wing led to "outstanding" results in a recent unit compliance inspection and Logistics Compliance Assessment Program (LCAP) conducted here in July.

More than 80 Inspector General team officials from the Air Force Reserve Command, Air National Guard Command arrived mid month to begin conducting these two major joint inspections as well as a Health Services Inspections of the 507th ARW Medical Squadron.

The LCAP is conducted to assess a unit's ability to perform key logistics processes in a safe, standardized, repeatable, and technically compliant manner. A unit compliance inspection is conducted to assess areas mandated by law as well as mission areas that are critical or important to the health and performance of organizations. HSIs assess Air Force Medical Service (AFMS) programs at the local level in order to provide senior leadership with accurate feedback as well as to assess the ability of medical units to
fulfill their health service support missions including provision of medical care, success in training and equipping deployable personnel, and mission support.

The 507th ARW and the 137th ARW began their association in 2007 due to the Base Realignment and Closure and Total Force Integration process. The 507th ARW became the first Air Force Reserve unit to serve as a host for an Air National Guard wing. Together, both wings shared mission involve flying and maintaining the 12 assigned KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft. The road to joint excellence began with the ANG conversion from C-130 aircraft. Aircrew and maintenance members from the 137th ARW spent months transitioning to the KC-135, learning a new mission and training for success.

"We all have a shared goal and that is to perform maintenance and to perform it properly," said Chief Master Sgt. Ronald Mitchell, 507th ARW AMXS Superintendent.

In preparation of their LCAP, members from each unit used one another's checklists, working on them as a team, to ensure each understood what was expected and that they would be able to demonstrate they were engaging in the best practice possible. With more than 2500 events to accomplish, this enabled the team to provide feedback to one another for mission success and to demonstrate to the inspectors their joint efforts were producing positive results.

"We've had a lot of challenges to overcome," said Senior Master Sgt. Tom Berry, 137th ARW Maintenance Flight Chief, "but open communication has been the key to our success."

Inspectors from Air Force Reserve Command and the National Guard Bureau cited numerous unit strengths thanked the units for all of their hard work. They noted the challenges presented to each unit and commended actions taken by squadron superintendents, flight chiefs, section chiefs and other section personnel who have come together to deal with these challenges.

Ultimately in the end, the LCAP inspection team could find no major or minor write-ups for the joint maintenance endeavor. "This is truly a first," said 507th Air Refueling Wing Commander, Col. Jeffery R. Glass. "We've never seen a flawless LCAP inspection before. This joint maintenance team can take pride in their accomplishments and expect a lot of phone calls in the future from other wings asking them how they did this."

"Congratulations," said Col George Pierce, AFRC inspector regarding the joint LCAP findings, "you have set the bar high! From wing leadership to the worker level in the Maintenance organizations, it's working and great things are happening here."

The 507th ARW also fared well in their UCI inspection, passing with high praise from inspectors. For now both the 507th and 137th have made their mark to set a new standard for any Air Force associate program.