Together, we do the extraordinary Published Aug. 29, 2008 By Lt. Col. Lane Beene 301st Operation Support Flight Fort Worth, TEXAS -- When Roy Queretaro was given the responsibility to be the Range Operating Authority (ROA) of the Falcon Bombing Range for the 301st Operations Group, Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas. he knew a great challenge was in his future. But he would have to do it with a contractor, and as everyone knows, this can be a big headache. But keeping a positive focus, he has assembled government employees and contractors into a seamless team with mission oriented success. So how did he do this with a contractor? First, he sat down and thought about what he really wanted from a contractor and how best to get the right contractor. He could always place lots of stipulations into any contract, but that does not guarantee he gets the right contractor. Plus, there is always the fear of the lowest bidder and maybe not getting the "best value." The following is how this Air Force Reserve civilian used his past experience and the Air Force Core values to help Falcon Range earn the Air Force Reserve Command Inspector General's comment of "The Best Backyard Training Range in the Air Force." To be a success and create what Roy refers to as the "self-licking ice cream cone," he listed what he wanted in his team to be successful. First and foremost, the contractor had to form a team focused on the mission of supporting Department of Defense training. In developing the contract requirements for performance, Roy sought a contractor who wanted to partner and join the Air Force Reserve Team. He was able to utilize contracting through the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment (AFCEE). The contract vehicle chosen, allowed for Roy to have a great deal of say in how things would be run. The AFCEE listened to Roy and his plan and then led Roy to engineering-environmental Management (e2M) and his relationship with Mr. Curtis "Chewy" Johnston. Chewy is a retired active duty F-16/A-10 fighter pilot who is also a certified Range Control Officer (RCO). "Chewy still has not figured out he has not taken his flight suit off yet." said Roy. Finding a contractor where the program manager was a fighter pilot with range management experience allowed the team's foundation to form. Because of Chewy's background, Roy knew he found someone who would understand Air Force Core Values and provide depth in the understanding of what it takes to make a bombing range a success. With the foundation formed, contract set, the two of them sought out the right team members ... this is where the key to their success started. Both individuals discussed goals for success and aligned their vision so each understood the other's concerns and constraints. All of the employees would have to understand Air Force Core Values first and, if they did this, then Roy and Chewy knew they would meet their goal. Falcon Bombing Range is located on the western edge of the Fort Sill Military reservation in Oklahoma. For Roy, Falcon Range, being a geographically separated unit from the 301st OG, made getting the right people he could trust, both government and contractor, all the more important. The local populace is a wealth of previous military experience. A key component is not just former service members, but the local area has many of the former service member's kids. What they found was even the children of former service members understood what "mission oriented" meant. Team building started from the beginning days. As the contract began, team members were encouraged to act as a team, regardless of whether they were a civilian employee or contractor. The teaming and trust development has allowed Roy and Chewy to build a team with depth. The onsite government employees are Onsite Quality Control/RCOs. One of them is also an Air Force Reservist, F-16 pilot and former Forward Air Controller, (Lt. Col.) Mark Kessens, and he serves his military duty as required. This sometimes creates problems covering days when both day and night flying is scheduled. e2M provides trained and certified RCOs and they are used as backup when needed. Roy also has personnel from his home station at the JRB Fort Worth who are RCO trained. This depth provides a bonus and helps ensure the range can meet any user's time request. But this doesn't stop with just RCO duties. Bryan Baker, an onsite government employee is a certified mechanic and together with the e2M heavy mechanic/onsite supervisor, Ron Fonville, have formed a vehicle control operation that is very similar to the Air Force mythology. It doesn't matter whether it is Bryan or Ron to the supporting unit at NAS JRB Fort Worth transportation. This ability for the contractor to understand and operate in the Air Force culture is another example of a seamless team focused on getting the mission done and ensuring the details behind the scenes are accomplished. After getting the right people, there had to be a system of managing the team. e2M and the 301st Operations Group decided to try and make contractors look as much like Air Force employees to the maximum extent possible. Employee uniforms were chosen and coordinated between Roy and Chewy. The uniforms helped provide a sense of unity. The duplication of the Air Force management system even included training folders using Air Force Forms and documentation. Even the range recall roster has both the Air Force civilians and e2M employees on the same page with no distinction as to whether an individual is a civilian employee or contractor. With a diverse work force, e2M has provided an added benefit with the 301st OG's help ... that being "Okie Ingenuity." From creating realistic targets from old range scrap to finding was to sustain the environment using existing material on the range, the Okie Ingenuity has proven to be a huge success. Identifying a need and allowing the range team to solve it has been one of Roy's biggest enjoyments and this is where the phrase "Together we do the Extraordinary" was derived. An example of this Okie Ingenuity was the crafting of a bridge over a stream using old trailers that were not mission capable. When heavy rains would fall, the dirt/gravel roads had to be replaced to allow access to the range areas. After duplicating this several times, several of the team members decided they could bride the stream, allowing the water to pass, but saving the road and thus, no more repairs after heavy rainstorms. This resulted in no duplication of effort, and a cost savings to the government because workers could go down-range at the end of storms and were not limited to access on range. A tactical success has been the crafting of items into realistic targets for use by air and ground personnel in training. The range was able to obtain several older aircraft at no cost to the Air Force. The contractor used a 55-gallon barrel on the nose of an A-4 fighter jet to replicate a Mig 21 aircraft. The ability to craft "something from nothing" is providing realistic training to the Air Force while ensuring every dollar counts towards supporting the mission. Of course, being on a great team also has its benefits. The range staff has "burger burns" where the entire group shares meals in a pot-luck fashion. The teaming, Okie Ingenuity, and mission orientation have proven to being the key success in the Falcon Range team. And that headache Roy thought he would have ... never materialized!