JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
With so many exciting events taking place across our great nation, it becomes easy to forget the incredible happenings which occur right here at our base.
Lt. Col. Dan Zubryd, Lt. Col. Laura Radley, Capt. Geoff Goldsmith and Capt. Jon Highley played major roles in organizing a stunning Blue Angels Air Show for the entire community over Charleston Harbor last Saturday. My family and I enjoyed watching this incredible show, as well as meeting with our civic leaders who were also out in force, including Cheryl Clark and Julie Gerthoffer, who put together a fantastic reception for the Blue Angels on our flightline.
Taking a closer look at great events here on base, 65 Airmen received promotions just this month. Also, did you know there are seven to 10 re-enlistments per week here across both wings? With so many promotions and re-enlistments, it's easy for such a significant event to become ordinary - when these occasions are actually far from that.
For someone to raise his or her right hand and promise to serve the United States for a certain number of years requires many essential characteristics, including tremendous pride, unwavering determination and unrelenting selflessness. Staff Sgt. Yvette Lattimore demonstrated just that when she re-enlisted earlier this week. Congratulations and thank you to those who have recently re-enlisted or will do so in the near future.
As we head into the final week of the Month of the Military Child, hopefully those of you who have children had a chance to specifically set aside some time to show appreciation for all the challenges being the child of a military parent may bring. We especially need to remember our deployed personnel and their families here at home, as they rely on community support during these times of separation.
Also, remember that we don't have to designate a certain day to be Administrative Professionals' Day - we should be expressing thanks to those who perform critical administrative tasks on a daily basis. Among these are Mary Naiman, Dale Ragland and Betsy Papizan, who play essential roles in the day-to-day operations in their respective wings.
On a more somber note, our community lost a great member when Brig. Gen. Thomas Mikolajcik passed away last Saturday. As a decorated veteran, advocate for the military, key community leader and former 437th Airlift Wing commander, General Mikolajcik was a great contributor to not only Charleston's military community, but also to the city as a whole. I was honored to know him and learn from him.
Thank you for your continued service to our great nation, and continue to look out for your wingmen.