CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- It was with great pleasure and excitement that I assumed the role of command chief for the 437th Airlift Wing Jan. 8. In the few short weeks of being assigned at Charleston AFB I have been very impressed with the sense of camaraderie, professionalism and welcoming spirit I encountered at the many agencies across the installation. Charleston enjoys some great facilities and an ongoing focus on infrastructure upgrade, however, without high caliber people excited to perform their duties, a sense excellence is hard to achieve. So congratulations Team Charleston, from a set of fresh eyes, we are doing a great job.

This exceptional teamwork was highlighted as we stood-up relief efforts for Haiti with Charleston becoming a staging base for humanitarian cargo and the hub for launching and recovering aircraft participating in airdrop and air-land missions. It is impressive to see the men and women of Charleston eager to do our part in answering the president's call for humanitarian support to the people of Haiti. Gen. Schwartz often comments that the Airmen of today are writing our own history and I would venture to guess that current operations will be a part of it. Our talented Charleston crews have always led the way with skill and tenacity in employing the C-17 Globemaster III and it was no surprise that Maj. Jeff Daniels and his crew consisting of Capt. Nate Bailey, 1st Lt. Mike Lewis, Tech. Sgt. Aaron Avery and Senior Airman Brad Edwards from the 16th Airlift Squadron flew as the lead aircraft on a very successful and highly publicized proof-of-concept air delivery mission delivering food and water to the people of Haiti.

Executing these relief flights takes hard work from a large support structure placing demands on all agencies across the 437 AW and the 628th Air Base Wing. Thanks to the total team effort, trucks with relief supplies arriving at Charleston were expedited through the gate by security forces defenders after which the untiring aerial port "Port Dawgs" were unleashed to quickly download cargo, build pallets and manage the hectic flow of food, water and other supplies. Our highly skilled aircraft maintainers are working hard to keep pace with rapid generation of aircraft in addition to providing Maintenance Recovery Teams. The 628th Logistics Readiness Squadron and the Force Support Squadron warriors have answered the call, fulfilling all transportation, logistics and support needs for increased operations, earning compliments with no complaints from a deluge of stage temporary duty crews. When power was knocked out to the runway lights last weekend, the 628th Civil Engineering Squadron worked tirelessly to restore operations bringing the airfield to full capacity for military and commercial use. Pulling all of this together is the hard working quiet professionals in our command post and crew stage, juggling the ever changing tasking orders for airlift without missing a beat. And finally, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with us every step of the way are our 315th Airlift Wing mission partners.

Thanks to this total team effort, we are in the local and national news almost daily under the watchful eye and tactful guidance of the public affairs staff, telling the Air Force story and showing our exceptional capability. As we continue to excel, I ask that we also maintain our inherently high standards of professionalism and safety both on and off duty. Relief operations on top of our workload for Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom will take a toll in terms of long days, hectic schedules, eagerness to overcome every challenge and an exponential increase in opportunities for mishaps. Please keep a watchful eye on each other and adhere to safety guidelines with attention to detail.

Once again, I am impressed with the performance of Team Charleston and proud to be the 437 AW command chief.