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FY06 comes to close

  • Published
  • By Maj. George Tombe and LaTonya Evans
  • 43rd Comptroller Squadron
POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  If Christmas sometimes comes in July, then members of Team Pope brought in the New Year Sunday. For many Pope Airmen, Saturday night was not an eve to party away while bringing in Fiscal Year 2007, yet a final go at making sure Fiscal Year 2006 was put to bed on a good note. 

Tech. Sgt. Phillip Godfrey, 43rd Airlift Wing Manpower Office, stood at the checkout counter of the Pope supply store anxiously awaiting a telephone call from the 43rd Mission Support Group resource advisor, Wilkie Moody. Sergeant Godfrey headed over to the base supply store around 10 p.m. after learning his request was next in line for approval should additional funding become available. Meanwhile, back at the 43rd Comptroller Squadron, Tech. Sgt. Courtney Jones, mobility account closeout manager, received a call at 11:55 p.m. from the 43rd Contracting Squadron indicating a contract could not be awarded. The decision was made to go onto the next item on the wing approved buydown list, which was Manpower's request for 42 office chairs. Sergeant Godfrey finally received the telephone call at 11:59 p.m. -- the very same time the funds were certified on his Government Purchase Card. 

Sergeants Godfrey and Jones and Mr. Moody are just three members of the group of dedicated people ensuring Pope remains the pride of Air Mobility Command. The 43rd CPTS, 43rd CONS, along with wing, group and squadron resource managers worked through the weekend to closeout the FY06 accounts and prepare for Fiscal Year 2007. 

Everyone hears about fiscal year end, but few experience it or realize all the hard work and dedication it takes to make it successful. Months prior, resource managers and members of the 43rd CPTS worked to prioritize and validate remaining wing requirements. During this process, they identified and prioritized nearly 300 requirements worth $6 million. Once this list was established, 43rd CONS worked with units to validate and better define these requirements. 

However, it is not normally until the last few weeks of the Fiscal Year all this hard work pays off. First, Pope ran short of Global War on Terrorism funding. Working with AMC, Pope was able to garner another $637,000 to support the fight. Then resource managers scoured every dollar ensuring nothing was wasted. Excess funds were quickly identified and applied to the wing's priority list identified earlier in the year. All told, the 43rd Airlift Wing was able to satisfy $2.6 million of their total $6 million in requirements. This $2.6 million will not have to be spent next year. This is increased mission capabilities and quality of life enhancements directly affecting Team Pope. The base will benefit from an improved base chapel, newer mobility equipment, improved safety equipment, repaired facilities and hundreds of other items that improve our mission, our warfighting capability and day-to-day life at Pope. 

So while you are out enjoying your weekend, think about those people working in a highly motivated fashion to ensure you have the tools and resources to accomplish the mission at Pope.