615th CRW earns "Excellent" on first ORI

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Lindsey Hahn and Staff Sgt. Candy Knight
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The 615th Contingency Response Wing earned an overall "Excellent" rating, and an "Excellent" grade in each of the four major sub-areas, in their first Operational Readiness Inspection, which began at Travis Oct. 8 and ended at Gulfport, Miss. Oct. 18. 

The ORI was designed to test the 615th CRW's ability to open up and handover an operational airbase.

"The 615th CRW is fully ready to support global air mobility operations," said Col. Mike Callis, Air Mobility Command's deputy inspector general. "The hallmark [observation] was teamwork. You shined from the moment you arrived till the moment you left."

The ORI culminated two years of constant preparation by the 615th CRW, who participated in several exercises including Eagle Flag, Dublin Fury, Lightning Fury and Hydra.

"I could not hide how proud I was when you guys stepped off the plane," Col. Anthony Hinen, 615th CRW commander said to his wing during the out-brief held at the Base Theater Oct. 23.

"You knew you performed well and you could see it in your faces. It reminded me of the way the defense looks as they trot off the field after running back an interception for a touchdown! From your attitude to your teamwork, you did incredibly well and I am very proud of you all," he added.

Brig. Gen. Mark Stearns, 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force commander, which the 615th CRW reports to, weighed in on the results as well.

"I can't get over the teamwork with the 60th Air Mobility Wing and your handover to the incoming unit," he said. "We already knew we were ready to accomplish the mission, the [inspector general] just documented it."

One of the highlights of the out-brief was in the "Ability to Survive and Operate" portion of the inspection, where the team captured a well deserved "Outstanding" rating. The inspection team also specifically recognized the Aerial Port team and the Airfield Marking team during the out-brief for Team Excellence Awards.

Three individuals were singled out for their outstanding performance: Master Sgt. Anthony Mitchell, 615th Contingency Response Wing, Tech. Sgt. Jamie Galan, 571st Global Mobility Readiness Squadron and Tech. Sgt. James Robinson, 572nd Global Mobility Readiness Squadron.

Tech. Sgt. Brian Slater, 572nd Global Mobility Readiness Squadron, and Staff Sgt. Kimberly Overturf, 571st Global Mobility Squadron, received inspector general coins for their performance.

The inspector general recognized more than 30 percent of the deployed force for special recognition; that's unheard of since the norm is 10 percent, Colonel Hinen said.

"The bottom line: you performed exceptionally well!," he added.