Prime Time Newspapers - Military Publications
Sept. 26, 2003 Page 3 - BMT’s training group ‘Outstanding’ in TSEV
By James Coburn - Talespinner Staff Writer
Lackland’s 737th Training Group, in charge of Air Force Basic Military Training, achieved the highest-possible rating "Outstanding" in its first Training Standardization Evaluation Visit (TSEV) by the 2nd Air Force.
The 37th Training Wing has three other core missions. Two of them, the 37th Training Group, in charge of technical training, and the Defense Language Institute English Language Center, which teaches English to students from more than 100 allied nations, received "Excellent" ratings in the TSEV conducted Sept. 8-18. The Inter-American Air Forces Academy, which teaches courses in Spanish to students from 22 Latin American countries, received a "Satisfactory" rating.
It’s the 2nd Air Force’s first TSEV of the 37th Training Wing, and officials of the wing’s higher command are planning to conduct a TSEV every two years. That means the wing can expect either an Operational Readiness Inspection or a TSEV every year.
"It will keep everybody on their toes, won’t it?" Col. Sharon Dunbar, commander of the 737th Training Group, said after noting: "The men and women of the 737th Training Group are very pleased with the rating that they received. They should be very proud of their accomplishment."
The 737th TRG turned more than 45,000 civilians into new airmen in six weeks of basic military training during the past 12 months.
Four of the group’s seven training squadrons that were evaluated (320th, 321st, 323rd and 324th) also were rated "Outstanding," defined as performance that far exceeds mission requirements, while the other three (319th, 322nd and 331st) were rated "Excellent," performance that exceeds mission requirements. The 737th Training Support Squadron was rated "Excellent."
"I am proud of everybody who works in BMT," Colonel Dunbar said. "They are some of the hardest-working individuals that I have known in my entire Air Force career."
BMT still isn't quite up to authorized strength in its number of military training instructors, she acknowledged, "so that certainly makes it all the more impressive that we were able to receive as many 'Outstandings' as we did. They do a great job 365 days a year, but certainly when inspections come around they want to show their stuff, and they do it with pride."
Colonel Dunbar said the timing of the TSEV "will allow us to focus on a few areas that need a little work," so that by ORI time in May, "we want to raise those 'Excellents' up to 'Outstanding.'"
Gary Peterson, TSEV team chief at 2nd Air Force, Keesler AFB, Miss., confirmed it’s the wing’s first TSEV. He said the 2nd Air Force conducted its first TSEV in June ’02 at Vandenberg AFB, Calif. He said an overall rating was not given for the TSEV, unlike the ORI conducted by Air Education and Training Command inspectors in May ’02 when the 2nd Air Force commander, Maj. Gen. John Regni, announced an overall "Excellent" rating for the 37th TRW.
The 737th was rated "Outstanding" in that ORI, while Lackland’s three other core missions were rated "Excellent."
One of the 37th TRG’s squadrons, the 343rd TRS, in charge of security forces training, was rated "Outstanding" in the TSEV, while the group’s other five squadrons (37th TRSS and 341st, 342nd, 344th and 345th TRS) were rated "Excellent."
Lt. Col. Steve Asher, who commanded the 343rd TRS during the evaluation period, said, "As the commander, I wasn’t surprised by the grade. I think an ‘Outstanding’ is what I expected because I have outstanding people."
Colonel Asher, leaving to take over the Nuclear Operations Division at Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va., said the squadron has greatly increased the number of security forces graduates over the past two years.
"In one year we have produced over 5,000 graduates that have enabled a career field that is highly stressed to meet its operations tempo," he said. "I'm particularly proud of the quality of the student-centered instruction that we provide, and that we now train to succeed."
Since 9/11, he added, "We’ve expanded our capability to conduct 24-hour operations. We are now able to surge and to train day and night," he said of lighted facilities on main Lackland and the Lackland Training Annex. "At Camp Bullis we operate in the airbase defense bare-base environment, so we operate at night using night-vision equipment."
In DLI’s TSEV, the Evaluation Division was rated "Outstanding" while the Academics, Operations and Curriculum divisions were rated "Excellent."
In IAAFA’s TSEV, the 318th and 837th training squadrons were rated "Satisfactory," defined as performance that meets mission requirements.
I took pictures of my shirts, but can't find my digital camera's USB cable... I have Ren Fest pics too, as well as other stuff. Just need to find that cable...