Elmendorf set to be inspected by IEA team

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jeremy Larlee
  • 3rd Wing Public Affairs
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  The Arctic Warriors of Elmendorf Air Force Base will be visited next week by an inspection team for the 2010 Commander-in-Chief's Annual Award for Installation Excellence.

Elmendorf was selected along with Dover Air Force Base, Del., as the two finalists for the Air Force.

The inspection team will arrive here Jan. 27. They will inspect the base Jan. 28 and 29 and leave Jan. 30.

Base leadership said that it is a great honor to be a finalist in the competition.

"The men and women of Elmendorf Air Force Base are incredibly proud to be selected as a finalist for the 2010 Commander-in-Chief's Annual Award for Installation Excellence," said Col. Thomas Bergeson, 3rd Wing commander. "We could not have won this recognition without the outstanding support we receive from Pacific Air Forces headquarters, our major tenant units, and the great Alaskan community. "

"This award reflects the superb efforts of almost 6,000 Arctic Warrior Airmen and our Total Force Integration partners from the Alaska Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve," said Bergeson. "Together we fly, fight and win!"

The prize for winning the award is $1 million. The money can only be spent to fund quality of life programs and cannot be used to fund mission-related programs. The prize for second place is $500,000.

The inspection team is composed of experienced Air Force leaders.

Heading the inspection team will be Maj. Gen. Anita Gallentine, mobilization assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Installations and Mission Support, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.

The other inspectors are; Col. Stephen Clark, commander of the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., Col. John Bird, commander of the 336th Fighter Wing at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, and Col. David Ellis the vice commander of the 47th Flying Training Wing at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas.

The team will be assisted by David Abildgaard, program manager for the Commander-in-Chief's Annual Awards for Installation Excellence.

The team's visit is the result of a lot of hard work by the Arctic Warriors said Lt. Col. Michael Strunk, deputy commander of the 3rd Mission Group Squadron and lead of the base's efforts to prepare for the Installation Excellence Team visit.

"I believe our successes at Elmendorf are a result of the outstanding teamwork and family atmosphere that exists here," said Strunk. "As a result, we have done an enormous amount of work during the last year as we integrate the Reserves and Air National Guard into our operations, prepare to stand-up Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and built the facilities and infrastructure to support the bed down of the F-22 and C-17. We did all of this while preparing for the ORI and handling multiple Mount Redoubt volcanic eruptions."

Strunk said the visit is a validation of the efforts by Elmendorf personnel and a great chance to show off our capabilities to the inspection team.

"We are all proud of the accomplishments during the last year and this is an opportunity for the Arctic Warriors to showcase our achievements and everything that makes living and working at Elmendorf so great," said Strunk.