CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Team Charleston, I was taught early on in my career a person should always know and understand the organization's and his or her boss' priorities. One of our Air Force's priorities, as published in the Fiscal Year 2010 Air Force Message to Congress, is to "Develop and care for Airmen and their families."
According to Gen. Norton Schwartz, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, "Our enduring strength comes from the power of many, manifested in the actions of a few. We wouldn't be here without our fellow Airmen, our families, or our communities, and we're here because of them. We fight for them, and we live for them."
Air Mobility Command also recognizes the importance of taking care of our people, "Develop and care of our Airmen and their families" is part of the command's vision. Here at Charleston, the 437th Airlift Wing focuses on family and improving quality of life, because as Col. John Millander, our wing commander, believes, "People make the mission move!"
This concern for the well-being of our Airmen and their families is a common theme, and many of our past, ongoing and future projects to improve our quality of life will make Charleston AFB even better and show everyone how much our senior leaders truly care. For example, our Fitness Center, Chapel and Family Campground improvements are amazing; more reasons why Charleston truly is the premier base in AMC and examples of how we truly care for our Airmen and their families. It's obvious we care, but let's consider how we can better develop our Airmen.
Master Sgt. James Ting from the 437th Contracting Squadron authored an article entitled Ceremonies recognize outstanding individuals published in the April 10 edition of the Airlift Dispatch, and if you haven't done so, I encourage you to read it. He wrote, "Military customs and ceremonies are proven traditions explaining what should be done in certain situations. It helps build morale, espirit de corps, discipline and mission effectiveness. This foundation has helped us to be the best Air Force in the world." Recognizing a decline in the emphasis we place on our ceremonies, Sergeant Ting believes, "ceremonies are sometimes viewed as chores that take time away from our day-to-day mission."
Leaders, our primary day-to-day mission, no matter what our job happens to be, is to develop our Airmen so we remain the best Air Force in the world. We have to take the time to attend significant events in our team member's careers and we have to encourage others to do so as well. We have to sacrifice time away from the people we love and the activities we enjoy to set the example and develop the leaders who will someday take our places. Sergeant Ting's words could not be truer and are absolutely aligned with one of the Air Force's priorities, and I thank him for writing an outstanding article. Take his advice to heart and for the sake of our great Air Force and nation, make developing and caring for our Airmen and their families one of your most important priorities.