8th Fighter Wing closes out 'Excellent' operational readiness inspection

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Amanda Savannah
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Members of the Wolf Pack clapped and cheered as Col. John Dolan, 8th Fighter Wing commander, announced the wing's grade of "Excellent" April 11 following the 2011 Pacific Air Force Operational Readiness Inspection.

The ORI took place April 3-7 and evaluated each of the wing's major mission areas, which included positioning, employing, and sustaining the force, and the wing's ability to survive and operate, as well as the wing overall.

Each of the major mission areas were also rated "Excellent."

Before releasing the results, Colonel Dolan reminded the Wolf Pack of the importance behind the wing's exercises and inspections.

"We have a very focused mission, and we have practiced this mission from the day you've been assigned to the Wolf Pack," the Wolf said. "If you got here last summer, you've had eight exercises in the last 10 months, preparing for what we did last week, but it's more than just going for the grade. We do this -- Kunsan does this, the peninsula does this, we have an inspection on the peninsula -- because it's a serious business. The people in South Korea depend on us ... to be able to fight tonight, 24/7, and we don't take that lightly. Whatever the grade is, whatever the result is, the fact remains the same -- we're 130 miles from the (Demilitarized Zone) ... it's about a five-hour drive to the fourth largest infantry in the world ... it's about a 15-minute drive in an F-16 ... and it has been and always will be a three-and-a-half-minute time before a missile ... could land here."

Colonel Dolan said the wing's rating also shows the 7th Air Force, U.S. Forces Korea, PACAF and Pacific Command commanders, as well as our South Korean allies, that we can successfully defend the base, accept follow-on forces and take the fight north.

Colonel Dolan also told the Wolf Pack to be proud of their accomplishments and to keep focusing on the mission.

"You need to be proud of what you've done this year," the Wolf said. "You need to be extremely proud for the service you're doing for not only the United States of America in defending and supporting the constitution of the U.S., but also for being stationed here at Kunsan, because being stationed here at Kunsan is about deterrence -- we will defend the people here in South Korea, and if we are called to arms there is no doubt in my mind that we will defeat. As we go into what the inspector general has taken as a very small snapshot of what the Wolf Pack is capable of doing, I want you to remember ... that it doesn't stop today and it didn't stop at Endex on Thursday afternoon, because until they declare peace on the peninsula and we all go home, our mission remains the same."

During the briefing, Colonel Dolan also announced the wing's outstanding performers, outstanding teams, and inspector general coin recipients from the inspection.

The outstanding performers are:

8th FW: Capt. Sabrina Dupre

8th Medical Support Squadron: Capt. Thomas Telfer and Staff Sgt. Andrey Gruzinov

8th Medical Operations Squadron: Staff Sgt. Stephanie Holt

8th Security Forces Squadron: First Lt. Daniel Roach, Master Sgt. Robert Arteaga, Staff Sgt. Kevin Arndt, Senior Airman Steven Floyd, Airman First Class Adam Mathias and Airman First Class Noricel Nadal

8th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron: Master Sgt. William Calvert, Tech. Sgt. Timothy Bennett, Tech. Sgt. Nathaniel Kibodeaux, Staff Sgt. Andrew Bell, Staff Sgt. Timothy Freiberg, Staff Sgt. Kevin Gronemeier, Staff Sgt. Kyle Lovell, Staff Sgt. Joseph Muscarella, Staff Sgt. Richard Rice, Senior Airman Justin Huber and Senior Airman Luis Lopez

8th Maintenance Squadron: Tech. Sgt. John Brownell, Staff Sgt. Jonathan Fulkerson, Staff Sgt. Darnell Moss, Staff Sgt. Edwin Sutton and Senior Airman Chadwick Reinhart

8th Civil Engineer Squadron: Tech. Sgt. Damian Davies, Staff Sgt. Phillip Coley, Senior Airman Francisco Bautista and Senior Airman Jonathan Ravana

8th Logistics Readiness Squadron: Tech. Sgt. Timothy Rischak, Staff Sgt. Michael Cox and Staff Sgt. Thomas Hatfield

8th Force Support Squadron: Staff Sgt. Andre Hunter and Staff Sgt. Ibnamir Williams

8th Communications Squadron: Willie Mims

The outstanding teams are:

The staff judge advocate team; the command post controller team; the signals management working group team; the load crew team; the 35th Aircraft Maintenance Unit Crew 21 team; the hydrazine response team; the 8th Operations Group Intelligence Mission Planning Cell team; the rescue combat air patrol on-scene commander team; the combined defense operations center team; the Alpha sector days team; the airfield damage repair mat team; and the chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear reconnaissance team.

The IG coin recipients are:

Capt. David Gable and Senior Airman Sterling Williams, 35th Fighter Squadron; Tech. Sgt. Troy Daland, 8th Operations Support Group; Staff Sgt. Thomas Skinkle, 8th FW; Staff Sgt. Kirk Struss and Senior Airman Soleil Tucker, 8th CES; Senior Airman Colt Crowe, 8th SFS; Senior Airman Casshea Mazique and Airman First Class Justine Ayotte, 8th MXS; and Airman First Class Adam Errahebi, 8th FSS.

The Wolf Pack plans to celebrate the results of the ORI during an all-day block party April 15, which will include games, tournaments, food and live entertainment.