JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
During the month of July, in a span of less than seven days, I was relieved as Commanding Officer, Nuclear Power Training Unit (NPTU) Charleston and assumed the duties as Joint Base Deputy Commander/Commanding Officer, Naval Support Activity (NSA) Charleston. In my 40 months in command of NPTU, I was part of a supported command on the joint base. However, now I am part of the supporting command as defined by the Joint Base Charleston Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). As many of you are aware, this is the MOA that combined the Charleston Air Force Base and the Naval Weapons Station establishing one of the 12 joint bases in our present military structure. The 628th ABW and NSA joined to form the team of professionals who maintain the base infrastructure and provide the needed services to our supported commands, military members, family members and our many veterans in the greater Charleston area.
As a supported Navy commander while assigned to NPTU, I quickly learned being stationed on a joint base, especially one where the Air Force is the lead service, is not the same as being stationed on a naval base. Everything from a different vocabulary to different instructions was confusing to say the least. The joint base had only been in existence for three years when I assumed command of NPTU, so the base was, and still is, working through the many transitions of becoming a joint base. To be honest, I was very skeptical about the support we would receive from the joint base and often thought we would be in a much better situation if the merger had never occurred. The fact is the merger did occur and despite the growing pains and challenges in front of us, we, the supported and supporting commands, were determined to make it work. I saw this determination up and down the many chains of command here on our great base. Being the professionals we are, we were not going to let our differences get in the way of our successes. Has it always been easy? No, but have we been successful? I say yes. In many ways, Joint Base Charleston is setting the standard and improving our operations every day.
Every person assigned to Joint Base Charleston is here to have an impact; to invest in the future of our military services and the future of our country. There are people around you who look up to you and listen to you. They follow your example for no other reason than because you are available, have shown you care and have offered whatever wisdom you have. This is a role worth appreciating. As stated by Coach Tony Dungy, "Never become indifferent toward people or how you treat them. Instead, consider how you might be able to help them."
So my challenge to all of us, as we move into our future, is to remember what it took to gets us to where we are today and ensure we pass it on. Remember the hard work because we did not get to where we are today by taking the easy road. Remember to be ready, positive and motivated and, above all, remember to be men and women of high integrity and strong character. I truly look forward to serving with each and every one of you over the next couple of years.