459th AMDS deemed "Outstanding" in recent inspection

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Shayne Sewell
  • 459th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs Office
ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. --  "If you want to be a part of something great -- stick around," said Col. Arthur Nicholson, 459th Aerospace Medicine Squadron commander, in January 2007 when he arrived here.

One would have thought he had a crystal ball because in June, the 459th AMDS passed their Health Services Inspection with an outstanding score of 94 out of 100, making them only the second AMDS unit in Air Force Reserve Command to get an outstanding score.

The criteria to pass is as stringent as the inspectors personalities were when they arrived here June 5. There are approximately 40 programs up for inspection; seven of them being critical focus areas. "If one thing goes wrong in one of the critical focus areas it can affect the entire inspection score," said Senior Master Sgt. Whitt Deas, medical administrative specialist, 459th AMDS.

The critical focus areas include the dental readiness classification program; Air Force specialty code specific sustainment training; management of duty restrictions for flying and special operations personnel; industrial hygiene and occupational health program management; credentials management; the self-inspection program and the on-the-job training oversight program.

The inspectors arrived promptly at 7:30 a.m., June 5 and got right to work scouring through hundreds of binders made for them to review the required documentation needed for each program area. The information in the binders became the basis for their interview questions.

Working until 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. each night, inspectors and unit members sweated the small stuff.

It took months of preparation said Senior Master Sgt. Janet Faust, 459th AMDS air reserve technician medical administrative specialist. "It took extra efforts from many unit members who came in on weekends and in the evenings to ensure the proper documentation was available for the inspectors," Sergeant Faust said.

Each night, the inspectors gave a debrief of what they found. Colonel Nicholson invited attendees to see the results of each individual program inspection.

The inspectors arrived grim and serious, but as the days moved along through the weekend, they begin to smile. "We knew then we were doing something good," Sergeant Deas said.

Master Sgt. Edward Thomas was the "linchpin for everybody's success," said Sergeant Deas. "He is one person we can really push kudos on. He made sure everyone got their information together in a timely and organized manner."

The inspection's conclusion June 8 was music to the squadron members' ears. They had earned an outstanding.

"It is a reflection of how hard everyone worked," Col. Stayce Harris, 459th Air Refueling Wing commander said.

Colonel Nicholson had a crystal ball or perhaps he shined too many floors and saw the writing on the wall so to speak. "It made me feel really good for the unit because many members have been here for years when we've had more room for improvement on these inspections. I think this was a crowning moment for them," Colonel Nicholson said.

"The commander led by example," Sergeant Deas said. "He was here at all hours of the night scrubbing floors. No one went home after him." Sergeant Faust added that their success comes from the AMDS motto; "Leadership, Accountability and Professionalism," she said.

"Our squadron practices LAP, and that definitely contributed to such a great score," said Sergeant Faust said.