Keep Your Chin Up! Published March 8, 2011 By Col. Nina Armagno 21st Operations Group commander PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- If you're assigned to the 21st Space Wing at this very moment, you either have recently been or are currently in the following status: "under inspection." That's right; it's the biggest inspection in our major command: the Air Force Space Command Inspector General Operational Readiness Inspection, Unit Compliance Inspection, and Logistics Capabilities Assessment Program. And you've spent months, upwards of a year, preparing for it. So if you're in the midst of inspection, you know first-hand that it's intense. It's tough. Inspectors seem to be everywhere, they know what they're doing and they carry the full authority of AFSPC. If that's not daunting enough for you, they write notes to your boss on a daily basis. These notes are called "findings," and you don't want them. Trust me. At a leadership level, I can tell you I see them all - and there are more than you care to count. If you are "under inspection" today or in the days to come, remember one thing: keep your chin up! No matter who is looking over your shoulder, know this: YOU are the expert, YOU are the one who is mission ready, YOU are instructor or evaluator certified, YOU know best how to defend this installation, YOU own your programs! Be confident, not cocky, that you know your stuff. Stay professional at all times, and drive the results of this inspection home. Know that for every finding that is written up, there are 20 great things being done by YOU that are not being written about. The eternally wise Chief Master Sgt. Thomas Trottier, 21st SW command chief, reminded me, in the midst of digging out of findings, evaluations, exercise inputs, deployment lines and rebuttals - Amazing is happening across this wing. Let me share some Amazing that I've witnessed in the 21st Operations Group. The Pirates of the 4th Space Control Squadron on Holloman Air Force Base, NM, poured their hearts into their craft: their readiness, their programs, and their facilities. Three operations crews were evaluated, and all three came out with the highest possible result, a "Q1" rating! The IG team chief coined several Airmen as they left the unit, no doubt due to the great teamwork they displayed. At the 10th Space Warning Squadron on Cavalier Air Force Station, ND, the Spartans of the North aced their two crew evaluations. What makes their "Q1" results special is the inspectors lauded the crews' coordination and checklist discipline, techniques we've been working on across the Operations Group for the past 21 months. To the Moose! At the 20th Space Control Squadron at Eglin AFB, FL, the space operators are so young that every one of them under evaluation had less than 6 months' experience. Result? "Q1s" all. And here at Peterson AFB, the base responded to an exercise input at the dorms. Our defenders executed their crime scene procedures flawlessly and the Incident Commander's change over with the Fire Department ensured superb control was maintained throughout the response. This inspection means more than the daily findings and write ups. It is a time for the fruits of your labor to be recognized. Amazing is happening everywhere. Look for it...and keep your chin up!