Ellsworth conducts final exercise before ORI

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jarad A. Denton
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  As the moon shone over Ellsworth Air Force base, Sept. 16, Airmen of the 28th Bomb Wing began processing through the PRIDE Hangar during the final operational readiness exercise before the operational readiness inspection, Oct. 12 through 18.

The ORI will be stacked with more than 300 graded items, all designed to gauge the skills Airmen have been practicing throughout the OREs.

"The OREs have really helped me to brush up on my self-aid and buddy care training, teambuilding exercises and deployment scenarios specific to my office," said Master Sgt. Kathy Evans, 28 BW law office superintendant. "They have also motivated me to be a good wingman by maintaining a positive attitude."

Sergeant Evans said a positive attitude can mean the difference between a successful ORI or a failed one.

"If an Airman comes into the inspection with a poor attitude it can affect the performance of their entire shop," she said. "However, a positive attitude can actually have the opposite effect and push the shop to do more and try harder."

In addition to maintaining a positive attitude, Airmen are given the opportunity to learn from the mistakes made in previous OREs - through continual practice and repetition of skills. Whether practicing SABC, conducting post-attack reconnaissance or reviewing the Law of Armed Conflict, Airmen are expected to make mistakes throughout the exercises. However, as time goes by the number of mistakes decrease as Airmen move closer and closer to the perfection of their deployment skills.

"It's good to make mistakes early on," said Capt. Heather Alwin, 28 BW assistant staff judge advocate. "This allows evaluators to identify problem areas that might occur during the ORE and implement procedures to fix them."

Captain Alwin said she approached the exercises with an open mind, willing to learn new skills and experience her career field in a different way.

"It's not every day I get to practice techniques which aren't part of my normal routine," Captain Alwin said. "The OREs have been a great way for me to keep my deployment skills fresh."

Col. Jeffrey Taliaferro, 28 BW commander, said the OREs have shown marked improvement on the part of Airmen.
"The ORI is an opportunity to show the Air Force that we are the best at what we do," Colonel Taliaferro said. "Every Airman is given the opportunity to take the skills they have learned and put them into practice during the inspection."