Hitting our stride Published Oct. 12, 2006 By Col. Eric Single 509th Bomb Wing vice commander WHITEMAN AFB, MO -- Every summer the wing experiences a bit of turmoil as we rotate up to half our commanders and many other key personnel. This creates of period of adjustment as Airmen at all levels integrate into the wing and learn about our unique mission. Recently, I've been seeing widespread evidence that we have emerged from this adjustment period in great shape and are "hitting our stride" as a team. General Biscone's teaming concept is maturing ... teams have formed, charters are written, and we are beginning to see results from all areas. Some of our key indicators are showing impressive improvement: -Newly released safety statistics for the "101 critical days of summer" show that we had one of the lowest mishap rates in history. Our Airmen have taken the concept of "It's on you" seriously, and helped keep themselves safe in the air and on the ground. -The wing's fitness statistics have shown incredible improvement. Only about four percent of our troops are overdue and ongoing testing continues to improve our readiness. A full 94% of the wing is scoring in the Good or Excellent category. -Our overall medical readiness statistics also remain high, in the 88-90% range, and among the best in the command. -Our maintenance professionals have posted some unprecedented mission capable rates, especially during deployed operations, and the B-2 fleet remains in good health. We have tested the wing with several nuclear surety exercises, and results continue to improve. This week's exercise evaluator outbriefs show that we have conquered our major challenges and have entered a "polishing" phase to clean up the last remaining administrative details as we continue to prepare for next month's Joint Nuclear Surety Inspection. Perhaps the best indicator of our smooth rhythm is the level of proactive decision making I see throughout the wing ... our leaders at all levels are identifying and solving new problems before they arise, and looking well down the road to prepare for upcoming events. This is where we should be operating ... and your units are doing it well. As we become more comfortable as a team, we continue to become more efficient and effective. Just remember that the race isn't over ... stay sharp and avoid complacency. Keep doing what you are doing and we will continue to see the impressive results that the 509th Bomb Wing is known for. None finer!