CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Good morning Team Charleston.
This 4th of July, I was invited to speak at a breakfast in honor of the men and women in uniform who serve our great nation. It was a pleasure to celebrate with Mayor R. Keith Summey and some of North Charleston's most ardent military supporters.
It was an honor to address such a distinguished audience, which included representatives from the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Marines, the local Veterans of Foreign Wars as well as veterans of Vietnam and World War II. The hospitality of the people and the inspiring words of Mayor Summey clearly communicated the patriotism and sincere appreciation they have for what every military service does to keep this nation free.
It is easy to see how Charleston's support for the military was worthy of winning the Abilene trophy twice, given to the community with the best support of it's Air Mobility Command base. The morning' s events were so heartfelt that they gave me a real sense of connection, not unlike what I feel when I'm around family.
In our family, July 4 is traditionally a time for reunion here in South Carolina. Since I have been unable to attend a reunion for some time, this year's reunion was special for me. We had lots of good food. It was a relaxing time for me to laugh, joke and catch up with cousins that I hadn't seen since childhood.
As I watched the events of the day unfold, it was clear that a natural spirit of cooperation was at work bringing everything together. Things just seemed to flow without effort. Everyone appeared to know their role and took pride that the family depended on their contribution. This cooperation reminded me of my other family, my military family.
As we work to accomplish our mission -- taking the fight to the enemy, Team Charleston has a similar family-like spirit of cooperation. I see it in the seamless way that we blend active duty and reserve efforts to achieve a common goal and we make it look effortless. I see it in our esteemed relationship with Naval Weapons Station, Charleston as we strive together to make joint basing a reality.
Probably the greatest similarity I noted was how we support and look out for each other. No matter what the need, I know that my family is always behind me two hundred percent. I also know that no matter how tough the challenge or how fierce the fight I can always count on my military family as well. There is always a wingman there to have my back.
Just as the cooperation and support we get from our biological family helps to make us successful in our personal lives, the cooperation and support we get from our military family helps to make us equally successful in our professional lives. We have to give our all to make them both work.
Team Charleston -- "One family, one mission, one fight."