Photo By Valerie Tandoi | Maj. Doug Ortiz, inspector general, reviewing reports at his desk, April 1.... read more read more
When you look around a place like Army Support Activity-Dix you will find a plethora of different people: Soldiers, trainers, civilian workers, students and Army families. Having the annex run smoothly is no easy feat with so many different functions going on to the support the mission.
When someone has an issue with something happening at Dix, Maj. Doug Ortiz, the command inspector general is available to give assistance to Soldiers and civilians alike.
"The IG office provides four functions: training, investigations, inspections and assistance. All of these aspects are important, but a bulk of what we do here falls under the assistance category," shared Ortiz.
Ortiz and the rest of the office of the inspector general team work directly for Col. Slowey, ASA-Dix Commander. The IG can deal with a multitude of issues from a minor paycheck error to a serious sexual harassment case. Ortiz welcomes emails, calls, walk-ins and appointments.
The IG staff can talk to people from all over ASA-Dix, but under certain circumstances such as a Soldier from a different command or a civilian government contractor that has set rules in their contract; they may have to call the IG for that specific command or the supervisor at the contract company to get the matter fully settled.
"There is no issue that is untouchable by us; we may just address certain problems in a different way. Even if we can't resolve the issue directly in this office, we can guide people to where they need to go so their concerns are heard and taken care of," told Ortiz.
Although the IG at Dix has not undergone any major changes under join basing, the office still finds itself making adjustments. The IG at ASA-Dix will no longer be considered a garrison office. As a result of this, the IG at Dix has been asked to consolidate and will be merging with the 99th Regional Support Command. Building 5407 will soon be home to both.
Being an IG is a job that takes patience, inquisitiveness and impartiality to be done well, told Ortiz. Soldiers interested in taking on a career as an IG need to be nominated. After nomination, an intricate process begins. The Soldier's last 10 years will be reviewed. This process will continue up through different chains of command until it reaches the DA. At that time, the inspector general has to officially sign off that the candidate has been granted the position of IG. All nominations must cross his desk.
"The IG looks for people who are the cream of the crop. We are here to enforce the Army's standards," shared Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Merrill, assistant IG. "IGs should be self-starters. We don't have much supervision. When you get a case, you need to be able to take it from start to finish. You need to be motivated to help people and have morals."
According to Ortiz, the most challenging part of the job is learning to adapt to a schedule that has no set timeline. IGs never know what the day will bring. A large amount of inquiries or a serious complaint that requires immediate attention can change the pace of the day in an instant. Even though this job can get hectic at times, it can also be very rewarding.
"The best part of this job is helping people and seeing someone leave the office satisfied. We get to experience the immediate impact that our work has on people, said Ortiz.
"Helping the Soldiers is very rewarding. Sometimes we get a Soldier who might think he is at his ropes end. And as we go through the interview process we can actually see the weight being lifted off the Soldier's shoulders. Soldiers have enough to worry about when they are mobilizing and demobilizing. Anything we can get squared away here is one less thing they need to carry with them," said Merrill.
Throughout military history, IGs have been known as the eyes, ears, voice, and conscience of the commander. Ortiz takes this role seriously and uses it to help improve ASA-Dix.
"We manage and track trends and go back to the commander and tell him if we are having a large amount of issues in a certain area so he can focus on that area and improve it. We look for concerns that are popular so they can get repaired," shared Ortiz.
Whether someone is having a command issue, a child-support concern, a family member ID card problem or anything in between, they should not be shy about reaching out to Maj. Ortiz or his staff for help.
"I want everyone here to know that our door is open. No one should go it alone when they can come to us," told Ortiz.
| Date Taken: | 04.09.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 04.12.2010 08:29 |
| Story ID: | 48004 |
| Location: | FORT DIX, NEW JERSEY, US |
| Web Views: | 214 |
| Downloads: | 127 |
This work, IG: The eyes and the ears of the commander, by Valerie Tandoi, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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