CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
This week we will observe the 60th anniversary of our great Air Force.
In the Air Force we talk a lot about our core values, we talk about integrity, we talk about service before self and we talk about excellence in all we do. As we celebrate our 60th anniversary, I would like to share with you a short story about the birth of the U.S. Air Force.
It was 60 years ago, and the date was Sept. 18, 1947. Harry S. Truman was president during this very contentious time as Congress was hashing out details of the National Security Act of 1947, which would establish the AF as a separate service. At the time Congress was voting on this bill, President Truman's mother was deathly ill; in fact she was on her death bed. Congress did pass the bill, and President Truman knew that he had to sign it into law quickly because of some of the politics going on in Washington, D.C.
When President Truman got a call at the White House telling him he had to come home because his mother was on her deathbed and did not have long to live, he gave the order to prepare the plane for his flight and he drove to Andrews AFB. However, he still had not signed the bill because Congress had not yet prepared it for his signature. He sat on the ramp for several hours until a courier from Congress finally brought the bill to him and he signed it into law ... thus the Air Force was "born." President Truman took off and flew to his mother's bedside, but she had already passed away.
Integrity, service before self and excellence in all we do -- they are not just words or phrases. The birth of the Air Force was literally an act of service before self by our president ... and that was a pretty incredible act.
For those of you who attended the Air Force Ball on Saturday, you witnessed another core value in action -- excellence in all we do. I would like to commend the Air Force Ball committee for their commitment to excellence and the numerous hours they worked to ensure the overwhelming success of this event. The ball was attended by more than 1,000 people -- the best attendance in the past three years!
I would also like to thank our community partners for their exceptional support. Their monetary contributions allowed more than 130 young Airmen and their spouses to attend the event. Community support doesn't get any better!
I just returned from a trip to Scott AFB on Saturday, just in time for the AF Ball. While at Scott, I attended the Air Mobility Command change of command ceremony, at which Lt. Gen. Arthur Lichte took command from Gen. Duncan McNabb. I also attended the 18th Air Force Commander' s Forum. During his comments, Maj. Gen. James Hawkins, 18 AF/ commander, commended Team Charleston for doing an exceptional job in support of the Global War on Terrorism.
Finally, I would like to welcome the Logistics Standardization and Evaluation Program and Air Traffic System Evaluation Program teams as they perform inspections of our operations, maintenance and support operations. I have no doubt Team Charleston will excel ... you have a proven track record of excellence.
Team Charleston -- Take the Fight to the Enemy!