CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Taking care of each other.
Taking care of our fellow Airmen is a part of our Air Force heritage and apart of our culture. I hope you took advantage of the time earlier this week on Wingman Day to spend quality time with your Air Force family. Yes, we are very busy ... but even so, your wing leadership viewed Wingman Day and team building as a priority. The day's events should have reaffirmed why it's so important to be a good Wingman -- it's essential to what we do as Airmen.
In the Air Force, your co-workers are more than people who work beside you. They're the ones who help take care of your family when you're deployed for 4, 6 or 12 months at a time. They are the ones who you can turn to when things go wrong. They are the ones you can lean on because they, more than anyone else, understand what it is to be an Airman.
Despite the rigors of serving in the military during wartime, our Airmen do amazing things to support the local community. Even with a quarter of our base deployed around the world, I'm constantly bombarded with letters, e-mails and phone calls from people in the community thanking us for the support they've received from us. Whether it's cleaning up a local park, visiting a hospital or volunteering as a youth sports coach, our people are out in force as active members of the community. Even though everyone's plates are very full, our people still take the time to give back to this great community.
This support is reciprocal. Our Charleston community does it better than any in Air Mobility Command. For the third time in five years, the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce was awarded the Abilene Trophy for the community's outstanding support of the military during 2007.
Our local community has a long tradition of providing exceptional support to our Airmen. The members of Team Charleston, active-duty, Reservists and civilians, have forged a strong partnership with our civilian community, and we are thrilled they received this well-deserved recognition for being the most supportive community in all of AMC. The award is given annually by AMC and the Military Affairs Committee of the Abilene Chamber of Commerce in Abilene, Texas. The Charleston chamber also won the award in 2002 and 2005.
When I arrived here last year, I outlined my intent as commander of this wing. Two of the three focus areas involved taking care of one another: Family and Community. Please continue to set the standard for other AMC bases and communities to follow.
Wartime or peacetime, there will always be a need for the capabilities of air mobility Airmen. Whether the enemy we face is a terrorist organization or a natural disaster, the nation will continually call on Team Charleston to respond ... and we can't do it alone. Our nation needs us and we need each other. I applaud you for all your efforts. The military and civilian partnership here is by far the best that I have ever seen. Team Charleston ... active, reserve, civilian, contractor and community ... taking the Fight to the Enemy and doing better than anyone else!
Team Charleston - Take the Fight to the Enemy!