Team Fairchild prepares to take on ORI Published March 18, 2009 By By Senior Airman Emerald Ralston 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- The Operational Readiness Inspection is here, and now is the time to put all those months of training and hard work to use to show the inspectors we mean business. "We've worked unbelievably hard to perfect our combat skills," said Col. Robert Thomas, 92nd Air Refueling Wing commander. "Over the last six months, we've conducted four Nuclear Operational Readiness Exercises and three large Expeditionary Deployment Exercises, two of which were fly-aways involving dozens of aircraft and more than 600 Airmen." The commander also points out that the real value of an ORI is in the preparation - the inspection will simply validate our combat readiness. The inspection mentality kicked off last Friday in the base theater where chants of 'TEAM! FAIRCHILD!' resonated throughout the halls and created a cohesive sense of excitement for the weeks to come. "The [Inspector General Team] might think they know what excellence is," exclaimed Chief Master Sgt. David Nordel, 92nd ARW command chief. "But they won't have any idea what it really means until we're done with them!" Excellence is the only way to operate at Fairchild, according to leadership. "The IG system validates our core value of 'excellence in all we do,'" Colonel Thomas said. "It is all about holding ourselves to the high standards of the organization - there's no other way." More than 40 inspectors arrived here today, and they will continue to trickle in throughout the week, resulting in at least 60 of Air Mobility Command's toughest inspectors breathing down the necks of Fairchild's finest Airmen. One main point Colonel Thomas wants to drive home to his Airmen is while they're looking over your shoulder, mistakes may happen, but not to let that get to you. Just pick it up and continue with excellence. "We will make mistakes - the inspectors don't expect us to be perfect; they do expect us to take the proper corrective action once we have made a mistake and do things by the book," he said. "When it comes down to it, attitude is everything, and our attitudes are great! We're looking forward to proving our combat readiness to the AMC IG Team, while additionally showcasing our superb Total Force Integration relationship with the Washington Air National Guard - this is our time to shine!" As the days stretch on to the end of the inspection, rely on your training, coworkers and knowledge to make this inspection a success.