Mission accomplishment

  • Published
  • By Col. Russ Walz
  • 114th Fighter Wing
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. --  As we enter the summer season, I want to make sure to thank everyone for the great contributions each one of you brings to this organization. The militia has never been more important to this nation, and you, the members of the 114th Fighter Wing, stand out as the best!

Soon after re-deploying from our previous AEF, Maintenance Group and Logistics Readiness Squadron were faced with a Logisitics Standardization and Evaluation Program, LSEP, inspection. Their hard work led to an impressive 99 percent 'complies' in Critical Areas. The Air National Guard average is 96 percent. They also received over 93 percent in performance task qualifications where the ANG average is 75 percent. The team stated this was the best inspection in the last three years. Congratulations!

Three months later we had 60 inspectors here from the ACC Office of the Inspector General for our Unit Compliance Inspection. The unit received outstanding results and the positive feedback I got from inspectors was truly impressive. Just to give you an idea of how great all of you did in this formal inspection, I compiled the results of Fighter Wings who were inspected in the last three years, and the 114th FW was the best! We also had three areas, Maintenance Group's Dull Sword program, LRS Mobility Weapons and Vehicle Operations Control programs, rated as the "best seen to date." Congratulations!

June marks another great milestone and wing goal. It took us only 15 months to grow the nearly 100 positions that resulted in the 15 to 18 PAA increase. 100 percent unit end-strength was accomplished nine months ahead of schedule thanks to an unbelievable effort not only by our recruiting and retention staff but by all unit members. Congratulations!

Mission accomplishment is the foundation of why the Wing exists and you do it better than most. Our sortie production and mission capable rates lead all ANG F-16 units. It centers around hard work, attention to detail, and pride in what you do. We accomplish this while successfully meeting 100 percent of ONE tasking for the Combatant Commander Northern Command with our 'No Fail' deployed Air Sovereignty Alert mission. We accomplish this while preparing for another 'No Fail' AEF later this year. Mission accomplishment takes everyone doing their job and you do it superbly!

Summer is a great time in South Dakota and I know many of you were deployed last summer with our AEF. I hope you all enjoy the sun, warmth and activities with friends and family. Remember this is a critical time of year where preventable accidents occur at a much higher rate than normal. Be on the lookout for potential dangerous situations and take action to stop them before they happen. Thanks for everything you do for this nation and have a great summer!