Take care of your 'horses' now that inspection is complete

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Miles Crowell
  • 71st Flying Training Wing
Vance Air Force Base, Okla. --  The cowboy philosopher and poet "Texas" Bix Bender wrote, "When you git to where your goin' the first thing to do is take care of the horse you rode in on." As we bask in the glow of an Operational Readiness Inspection completed, we should ponder those words.
In the last Chief of Staff Unit Climate Survey, the top two weak areas noted at Vance Air Force Base were "resources" and "recognition." It is interesting that we did that survey shortly after our 2003 ORI, and soon we will task folks to complete the next one.
So where are we? I am confident as we prepared for this ORI, we identified areas where we lack resources. While acknowledging resources are tight, have you made an effort to identify the specific areas and perform the proper staff work to highlight the deficiencies up the chain of command? If not, we need to. Otherwise, there will be nothing actionable from the next survey.
There are a lot of troops out there who busted tail getting ready for the ORI. There were many who performed exceptionally during the ORI. Some were identified, but some were missed. Do you as supervisors have a plan to take care of them? If not, you need to.
A lot of folks have use-or-lose leave as a result of ORI preparation. Commanders and supervisors need to think about plans to let the people use the leave they deserve. Without these horses, we would not be where we are today.
Bix Bender was also known to say, "Nobody ever drowned himself in his own sweat," and "Never miss a chance to rest your horse." Although this seems like conflicting guidance, these thoughts are complementary.
Consider this: find your Airman's Manual and hold it out at arm's length. How much does it weigh? Two ounces ... 6 ounces ... a pound? Not much of a burden really, but keep holding it out there. The longer you hold it, the higher your weight estimate will get. After an hour, your arm will ache. At the end of the day, we would probably have to call the ambulance. Although the manual is the same nominal weight you started with, it just seems heavier. That is how stress affects us. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, the burden seems so heavy we won't be able to carry on. We need to set our burdens down for a while, rest, and pick them up again. I've watched wings over the years spin up for ORIs then afterward continue on with the mission at the "normal" hectic pace. Nobody is sweating anymore. There is usually a let down, but don't confuse that with a rest. During the let down, often that is where the mishaps occur, because people really did not get the rest they needed to become refreshed. They continued the marathon, just at a slower pace. So take a break, take that leave, even if it is just a day or two, and come back ready to hit the mission again full up.
Congratulations to all on the ORI and I will see you when I get back from leave.