JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
In an effort to clean up Joint Base Andrews and maintain a level consistent with being home to not only the "Chief's Own" 11th Wing, but also the flightline that sees off and greets countless world leaders and other distinguished visitors, the Base Pride Program kicked off recently.
"The mission of the program is to take the base appearance to the next level and
share the responsibility of keeping it there with the entire base," said Tech. Sgt. Ryon Ajello, 11th Civil Engineer Squadron pavements and construction equipment operator craftsman and Base Pride Team non commissioned officer in charge. "It's very important that the base is in top shelf appearance as we have a lot of heads of state passing through and we are also the home of Air force One and the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force."
The program consists of six person teams, comprised of servicemembers from every wing on the installation as well as Naval Air Facility Washington, making the clean up and upkeep of Andrews a true joint effort, said Master Sgt. James B. Keeney, 11 CES heavy repair superintendent and Base Pride Team manager.
"The team patrols the base looking for things that are out of place or that
don't look good and fixes them," said Sergeant Ajello. "If we can't fix it, a work order is created so that it can be fixed. Examples of what we have done so far are: repair 12 minor pot holes, remove fallen tree limbs, remove signs that were no longer needed and were eye sores, picked up debris inside and outside of the perimeter fence and aided in the clean-up of dorm 1600."
The team rotates every week, except for the team NCOIC from 11 CES, who is scheduled to rotate monthly, according to Sergeant Keeney. The five members from various units work from Monday to Sunday and are off the following Monday and Tuesday, so they are away from their respective units for nine days total.
While this team is now off and running and making great strides in ensuring Andrews looks the part as one of the most well known military installations in the world, that doesn't mean the rest of Andrews can't help the cause.
"You don't have to be part of the team to do your part," said Sergeant Ajello "Make daily checks around your building, ensure dumpster doors and lids are closed, and if you see trash on the ground, pick it up. Keeping Andrews looking good is everyone's responsibility."