CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
I recently had the opportunity to attend the dedication of the Samuel F. Lyons Visitor Control Center.
I witnessed a tremendous turnout from all of Team Charleston; active duty, Reserve, civilian employees, family members and local civilians. As I stood at the visitor control center on a beautiful day in May with Charleston listening to the impact Mr. Lyons had on Charleston AFB and the local Charleston community, I couldn't help but think about how proud I am to be a member of Team Charleston and how important the relationship between the many components of Team Charleston have contributed to us being the premier airlift wing in the world.
The accomplishments I've witnessed since my arrival at Charleston AFB two and a half years ago are phenomenal. Never in my nearly 20 years in the Air Force have I had the opportunity to work with a better combination of Airmen and civilians. None are more professional, mission-focused, caring and compassionate. Almost every member of Team Charleston I've had the pleasure of working with has had the innate ability to place the mission first, sacrificing their personal desires, time with family and friends and already scarce time off, ensuring that we, Team Charleston, remain at the top of our game and stay focused on the Global War on Terrorism that we support.
Whether it's the 437th Security Forces Squadron member at the main gate keeping us and our families safe 24-hours-a-day or the customer service specialist at the military personnel flight issuing us identification cards and deployment orders, everyone is contributing to the mission. There are also the vehicle operators at the 437th Logistics Readiness Squadron who endure long hours, little sleep and endless deployments supporting convoy operations in Southwest Asia, the loadmasters who deploy flying combat missions into and out of hostile theaters daily, the dental technicians who ensure we are all cleared to deploy and the aerial porters who move more cargo than any other base. Of course, I can't forget the finest engineers in Air Mobility Command who support every bit of the base's infrastructure. Remember the civilian employees and contractors who support us and pick up our slack while we are deployed and the local community who welcomes us home.
Every one of us here has a mission, and we've excelled during inspections, assessments and our biggest inspection -- war.
Team Charleston has refined the Total Force concept and continues to set records and raise the bar. None of this would be possible without the support from every component. Active duty, Reserve, National Guard, civilian employees, contractors, family members and the local community make up Team Charleston -- One family, one mission, one fight!