Duke maintainers earn highest MSEP rating in AFRC history

  • Published
  • By Jasmine DeNamur
  • 919th SOW Public Affairs
DUKE FIELD, Fla. --  Duke maintainers blew inspectors out of the water when they received the highest Maintenance Standardization and Evaluation Program inspection rating ever to be earned in the history of Air Force Reserve Command.

"We were evaluated in two separate areas - Program Management and Personnel Evaluations, and we scored exceptionally well in both," said Col. James Brock, 919th Maintenance Group commander.

Inspectors arrived and began evaluating maintainers immediately Oct. 31 and continued to immerse themselves into the everyday life of the 919th Maintenance Group members through Nov. 4, scrutinizing every aspect of maintenance ranging from filing paperwork to hands-on procedures.

The group scored an overall rating of 91.2 percent, shattering the previous AFRC unit MSEP score that was in the upper 80s.

"We earned an 'Outstanding' in Program Management and went on to score an 'Excellent' in Personnel Evaluations - a first for AFRC MSEP inspections," said Colonel Brock.

What makes this recognition even sweeter for maintainers is that they not only had to focus on preparing for the inspection, but they also had to deal with extra challenges while preparing for the MSEP.

This is an outstanding example of teamwork within a group that has many compelling priorities for personnel, to include the continuous support of the mission, manning issues and a recent deployment where the last set of maintainers returned in September - just a month and a half short of this "major league" of maintenance inspections, said Colonel Brock.

"We took a very hard look at our last inspection and made sure every problem-area was 100 percent in compliance and expanded the same effort to every maintenance checklist," said Capt. Matthew Heintzelman, 919th MXG executive officer. "We pulled the 1800-plus checklist items and validated them through the AFRC inspection web site to ensure they were the most current of their kind."

The group utilized the background knowledge of a previous AFRC MSEP inspection team member, who now resides with the 719th Maintenance Squadron, to help them sift through their checklists and pinpoint exactly what needed work.

"Capt. Carmel Weed gave us great insight into the world of inspectors and what they focus on. Thanks to his background, we were able to hone in on problem-areas and improve them quickly, giving us the time to check every single item multiple times for assurance," said Captain Heintzelman.

The group's 919th Maintenance Squadron also took a unique approach in preparing for the inspection by compiling a mini MSEP inspection team, made up of the squadron's very own reservists, to conduct evaluations on their areas of specialty.

What the 919th MXS team did helped the rest of the group streamline the preparation process based on their findings, said Colonel Brock.

"We were able to do this by applying the corrections of discrepancies they found to similar problem-areas throughout the group, making our job a little bit easier," he said.

Every single maintenance member made a vast effort to ensure total compliance, and it's because of them that the group earned the score of "Excellent" in Personnel Evaluations. It truly shows in their day to day work ethic, he added.

Four specific members were recognized for their extraordinary work efforts during the inspection. Master Sgts. Amy Billiot and Marion Lollis and Staff Sgts. Donald Gauldin and Michele Sturm were all recognized as "Superior Performers".

For Sergeant Billiot, 919th Maintenance Operations Flight maintenance data systems analysis craftsman, the main focus of her preparation was reviewing her checklist on a daily basis and keeping up with changes as they occur, instead of waiting for discrepancies to pile on and address them the last minute.

"I think it's important to stay consistent with changes, especially when it comes to data integrity in maintenance. It is my job review data and analyze maintenance trends for later use to assist in making critical management decisions. If a quick decision had to be made, and my data wasn't up to date, then the mission would ultimately fail, and that applies to everyone in the group," she said.

Sergeant Lollis, 919th MXG aircraft quality assurance inspector, attributes the recognition to those he's been evaluating the past year.

"I really do appreciate the recognition, but it doesn't involve only me - it involves everybody in the group for ensuring they do their job correctly to provide the aircrew with safe and airworthy aircraft. Maintenance is a team effort," he said.

His supervisor agrees.

"The 919th MXG's members proved that we are the best in AFRC at what we do. It's a difficult task to maintain the high standards that we set," said Chief Master Sgt. Joseph Haveard, 919th MXG quality assurance superintendent.

For Master Sgt. Michael Barrow, 919th MXS aerospace ground equipment flight chief, being able to work with Airmen that help set those very standards makes all the difference in the success of his shop.

"People like Sergeant Gauldin are a supervisor's dream. He has the best work ethic I've ever seen - he comes in, goes straight to work and doesn't stop until the job is done right, which is always on the first try for him," he said.

"Reservists here consist of a much smaller workforce than your traditional active duty unit. Due to the high-tempo, minimal manning operations we run, we've learned to be our brother's keeper, streamline our processes and work in a more efficient manner together, and the MSEP results definitely prove what we're capable of," he added.

Sergeant Sturm is yet another example of the success of this teamwork mentality.

"Having worked with her in the past, I can say that she is a very sharp troop and very competent in her job," said Master Sgt. Anthony Kolarick, 919th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron aircraft mechanic. "It always makes your life easy and more enjoyable to work with someone who's dedicated to their craft and Sergeant Sturm is one of those people."

Though the MSEP inspection focused on maintenance Airmen like the "Superior Performers," several other wing members were involved in the achievement of their success.

The results of this inspection speak volumes about the character of the 919th MXG and their supporting behind-the-scenes 919th Logistics Readiness Squadron. Without them, maintenance members wouldn't have been able to make this tremendous accomplishment possible, said Col. Steven Chapman, 919th Special Operations Wing commander.

Wing leaders, maintainers and supporting staff attended weekly meetings to evaluate progress and address issues at hand, making the success of the inspection an overall wing effort.

Without transportation and equipment supply support, maintenance members wouldn't have been able to show their expertise as well as they did to inspectors, said Colonel Chapman.

"This is a huge feather in everyone's hat, from the tool room attendant to the wing commander. I think we've ultimately raised the bar with this inspection, thanks to supporting units, and especially thanks to the maintainers," said Captain Heintzelman.

"It makes me proud that the 919th MXG always achieves what you ask them to - plus some. Whether they're needed for a deployment or to do their jobs, they're always there to support the mission, and they do it with some of the highest standards of excellence that I've ever seen in my military career," said Colonel Brock.