CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Now that we have officially begun the 101 critical days of summer, I want to take a moment to encourage you to find some time to get out and enjoy yourself.
I am convinced that the Lowcountry offers activities to fit every fancy. Whether you are a water sports enthusiast, a history buff or a walk-in-the-park kind of person, there is something here for everyone to do. Make every effort to take advantage of the numerous opportunities that are available ... you have earned it. Please remember that whatever activity you decide upon, always keep safety at the forefront of your planning.
Congratulations are in order for the 11 Team Charleston Airmen who graduated last week from the Robins NCO Academy. They were the first class to go through a recently updated and extremely challenging course of study; one that definitely prepares them to be better leaders in our Air Force. We can boast of one of the best, if not the best trained and most professional enlisted force in the world today. One of the reasons we can make that claim is because we take professional development very seriously. Thanks for making it through, you got it done and you did so in style. While I am very proud of each graduate, I must give a special "shout-out" to my favorite graduate from this class, Tech. Sgt. Nina Murphy, 437th Airlift Wing executive assistant to the command chief. I have a feeling she will be putting those finely honed skills to good use in the office to help keep me on track. Class 07 - 4, only two more levels of professional military education to go; are you up to the challenge?
Speaking of enlisted professional military education, let me also offer my congratulations to those NCOs, both Air Force and Coast Guard, who completed our NCO Professional Enhancement Seminar this week. I met with the group early on and it was immediately apparent to me that they were going to be a great class. I would be virtually impossible for Master Sgt. Timothy Kelly, 437th Mission Support Squadron career assistance advisor, to put on a course like this without a tremendous amount of support from some very special Airmen. Therefore, I would be remiss if I did not offer a very special thank you to the dedicated and talented senior NCOs who shared their time and expertise to facilitate and instruct the different segments of the seminar.
Finally, as we enter this Memorial Day weekend, please take a few moments to remember and honor those who have died while serving our nation. Their sacrifices and those of the families left to mourn them should never be forgotten. As a nation, we owe a huge debt of gratitude to each fallen hero. While it would be easy to just enjoy the extra time off from work we must never lose sight of why this day of remembrance was initially established and why we continue to observe it today. I would also ask that as we observe this Memorial Day, we also keep the family of Tech. Sgt. Eon-Paul Harry, 437th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron flying crew chief, in our thoughts and prayers.
Team Charleston - One family, one mission, one fight!