ORI, Time to Prepare Published Nov. 30, 2012 By Maj. Paul Barthel Commander, 45th Logistics Squadron PATRICK AFB, Fla -- When is the last time you were on a convoy travelling through Afghanistan, or needed to apply self aid and buddy care skills after an enemy attack? For many personnel assigned to Patrick these are scenarios that we have had to face all too often, and the old adage holds true 'the more you sweat in training the less you bleed in war.' I know that for some people the idea of going into harm's way is something 'that will never happen to me' but I know plenty of people who thought just the same thing until they received their deployment tasking. One of the truths of military service is that we need to be ready to deploy, ready to fight to defend our freedoms, at all times--regardless of our rank / specialty / career field. Over the coming months we are going to step into high gear preparing for our Operational Readiness Inspection, this test is the Air Force's way to ensure that our Airmen maintain basic combat skills. Admittedly the Operational Readiness Inspection is an imperfect tool, however it is the best tool we have to demonstrate to not only Air Force leadership--but also the leadership of other nations who may be watching--that we are capable of deploying forces on short notice, and applying the skills needed to succeed in a hostile environment. All of us have different experiences and skills that we bring to the table and all of us have something to learn from these upcoming exercises. Although we do not yet have the exact date, we do know the IG is bringing the fight to the 45th Space Wing; it is time to get ready.