CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Team Charleston, Excellence in All We Do is an Air Force core value that requires Airmen to always strive to perform at their best. This past year, the work you have done and the way you have done it has demonstrated that our team embodies this very important value.
Time and again, you embrace this value and prove it is not a clever slogan meant to impress, but the reality that characterizes a very real state of being. Your work has not gone unnoticed, nor will it go unrewarded. From the local wing leadership to Air Mobility Command headquarters, your accomplishments scream of excellence. As a result, we recently were honored to be selected as a finalist for the AMC Commander in Chief's Installation Excellence Award. This award recognizes U.S. military installations that promote excellence and employ innovative ways to improve mission performance and enhance the quality of life for military members and their families.
This week, we hosted a team of experts from AMC headquarters who will decide which AMC base will go forward to compete for Air Force honors. Bases that win at the major command and the Air Force level receive monetary rewards to help improve their base and quality of life initiatives. Thank you for doing what you all do so well. Your work keeps us competitive and prepared for success. Although I am partial, I am confident we will do well.
At the beginning of the week, Colonel Millander took 50 Team Charleston Airmen to the Air Force Association Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition to accept the 2008 Verne Orr Award. I know you all recall the announcement in May that we were the recipients of this award for the best utilization of human resources. The selection made us the No. 1 wing out of 288 wings across the Air Force. This is yet another super example of how "Excellence in All We Do" is a part of who we are. I am extremely proud to serve with professionals of your caliber.
In addition to the awards ceremony, we toured the Pentagon, visited the Capitol and viewed the newly opened Pentagon Memorial erected in memory of those who perished in the 9/11 Pentagon attack. It was a touching sight to see. I was honored to remember those who lost their lives on the day that changed our nation's history. It was exciting to visit the Senate Chamber where Congress meets to write the laws of the land. Overall, the trip was successful, enlightening and enjoyed by all.
Please extend warm congratulations to Tech. Sgt. Robert Thaman from the 437th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. He was recently selected as a Distinguished Graduate from the NCO Academy, Tyndal AFB, Fla.
Additionally, this week was the Air Force's 61st birthday. What better way to spend the day than at the Citadel, one of the country's most historical military schools. The cadets gave me a tour and the opportunity to share with them the role of a command chief in an operational wing. The Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets and I also discussed a senior enlisted perspective on leadership. It was a great way to end a very exciting week.
Team Charleston - Take the Fight to the Enemy!