KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Staff Sgt. Wendy Updegrave, a native of Whitehall, Pennsylvania and 8th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron noncommissioned officer in charge of the operational medicine cell, was awarded the 8th Fighter Wing’s Pride of the Pack for the week of June 9–13.
Updegrave spearheaded a critical initiative to prepare 374 Airmen for deployment to Red Flag - Alaska, a large-scale exercise. Over a fast-paced two-week period, she managed the execution of more than 8,000 deployment tasks, improving the group’s overall readiness rate to 96.4% and reducing partial readiness from 12.4% to 9.7%.
Facing challenges head-on and operating under a 40% manning deficit, she strategically prioritized mission-critical tasks to expedite the processing of 470 medical clearances, 21 waivers, 12 retraining packages and 1,000 readiness tasks. Her leadership propelled the 8th FW to the top Individual Medical Readiness (IMR) rate in Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), securing the number one ranking out of 81 units in the Air Force.
Beyond her primary readiness responsibilities, Updegrave hosted 7th Air Force Surgeon General leadership and provided essential medical care during the 8th FW Norwegian Foot March, delivering care for 156 participants and responding to nine injuries, ensuring participant safety and promoting inter-service relations.
Updegrave consistently advanced unit morale, medical readiness, and operational excellence, proving herself an indispensable asset to the 8th Fighter Wing and the U.S. Air Force.
Thank you, Staff Sgt. Updegrave, for your outstanding leadership and dedication to the Wolf Pack mission. Congratulations on being this week’s Pride of the Pack!