September 25, 2014 -- Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany’s Commanding Officer, Col. Don Davis, and other base officials welcomed the Marine Corps Inspector General and a team of approximately 20 inspectors to the installation, Monday, during an in-brief at the Base Theater.
While displaying a photo of a child sitting in a dental chair with clamps, wedges and other gadgets protruding from his mouth, Col. Damien M. Marsh, inspector general, Office of the Inspector General of the Marine Corps, likened the team’s two-day visit on the base to a typical dental appointment.
“This is our proverbial attention getter,” Marsh said, as he outlined an overview of the process to attendees. “We use this analogy often. It’s going to hurt, but when you’re done, you’re going to be in better shape. The bottom line is it’s only going to hurt if you did not prepare. So, if you hadn’t spent the last two years flossing or brushing, it could be a little bit (more) painful.
“We’re going to take a look at everything and if we find a cavity, we’re going to drill down and try and find out the root cause,” he added. “We owe it to your boss. We don’t want to just tell him this isn’t being done correctly; we want to be able to tell him why and make recommendations on what can be done to fix it.”
From there, Marsh defined portions of the IGMC team’s authority, its credentials and its philosophy, as primarily being the eyes, ears and voice of the Marine Corps.
“This is a compliance-oriented inspection against (all) known standards,” Marsh pointed out. “You have all the questions to the test. There should be no surprises; it’s not like we’re going to come in and pull something (out) that you’re not prepared for. We’re not going to sugarcoat anything. (We’ll give your boss) straight forward and candid results.
“The best part is this is coming from a team who, for the most part, has never been here before,” the IG continued. “It is completely independent and unbiased. And, we’re going to give you that perspective without any kind of institutional momentum in either one direction or the other.”
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Ian Anthony, chief inspector, IGMC, also detailed timelines and schedules for the remaining IG team’s visits with installation department heads, as well as the proposed schedule for exit briefs and wrap-up meetings.
Master Gunnery Sgt. Victor Purvis, IGMC, Functional Area Checklist 755, Ground Ordinance Maintenance, IGMC team, commented on the types of details he looks for in his role on the inspection team.
“As ground ordinance maintenance, when we go to a base, installation or any unit, my functional area deals with the armory,” Purvis said. “We want to make sure that the personnel working in the armory are properly screened and vetted to be working in there; we want to make sure the accountability of all weapons, ammunition and explosives are being properly tracked and documented and that the facilities themselves are up to standard.”
Sgt. Maj. Irene Z. O’Neal, sergeant major for the IGMC, discussed some of the responsibilities and protocols she focuses on during her inspections.
“Not only do I inspect programs out of the functional area checklist, like I’m doing today, I’m also (inspecting) the color guard, suicide prevention, equal opportunity and hazing,” O’Neal shared. “I also go around and look at the command climate, the facilities — see how the Marines are living and the services that are provided for the service members as well as the families.
“The schedule can be very hectic,” she admitted. “But talking to the Marines is the focus just as well – to see how they’re doing and getting that face-to-face, which I wouldn’t be able to do if I were sitting in my office.”
According to MCLB Albany’s Inspector General, Donnie R. Baggs, the IGMC team’s two-day visit here was conducted as part of a required evaluation and inspection of the installation’s headquarters, Marine Corps Installations East, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
“We’re actually being inspected because we are a subordinate command under (the commanding general) MCIEAST,” Baggs said.