CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Team Charleston. Excellence in all we do. We all know this as the third of our three core values. We can recite it from memory, but what does it mean to us?
For me, it is putting self aside and giving all we have to achieve mission success. We have numerous demands placed upon us every day and here at Charleston our response is always the same. We produce results that routinely exceed everyone's expectations and consistently go above and beyond just meeting the goal.
Many things come into play to achieve excellence, and two that stand out in my mind are adherence to standards and strength of character. Adherence to standards is the basis for all that we do. Compliance with technical orders, Air Force Instruction and Air Force policies are just a few examples of the written guidance that lead us through completion of our daily tasks and meeting standards.
Just knowing the correct guidance is one thing, but always following it to achieve success reflects on the individual. The character of a man defines who they really are and how they will behave even when no one is looking. Character will make you reach deep into yourself and achieve greatness. The success of a unit is a direct reflection of the character of its Airmen.
I could fill the Dispatch with examples of the successes of Charleston Airmen, but I will mention only one in particular. On one of my recent squadron visits to the 437th Maintenance Squadron's wheel and tire shop, Staff Sgt. Eddie Melendez demonstrated his character by creating a bolt cleaning tool to make an otherwise mundane task one of the more popular tasks in the shop. It is ingenuity and attention to detail such as this that helped propel this shop to be the best in Air Mobility Command.
This type of behavior from Team Charleston Airmen each and every day is why we feel our wing is the "Premier Airlift Wing" in AMC and why we were named the 2008 Verne Orr Award Winner for best utilization of human resources.
I thank everyone for the work you do every day. As you prepare for the upcoming operational readiness inspection, your adherence to standards and strength of character will shine through and the inspector general will know what we know: that you are all the best. Game on!
Achieving excellence is also visible in how well the housing residents maintain their yards. The much-needed rain has been very beneficial to us and flowers are in full bloom and yards are well manicured. Tech. Sgt. Joel Culbreth from the 437th Communications Squadron and his wife, Debbie, stood out from the others and were chosen as our June Yard of the Month.
Also, our NCO Academy location changed from Robins AFB, Ga., to Tyndall AFB, Fla. We recently had 14 technical sergeants graduate in the first class. We are extremely proud of you all. We had one NCO stand out from his peers. Tech. Sgt. Angel Alvarado Rivera from the 437th Communications Squadron captured two of the top awards. He was the Academic Achievement Award winner and also one of the distinguished graduates. Congratulations to all the graduates.
Team Charleston - Take the Fight to the Enemy!