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From me to you, thank you

  • Published
  • Commander, 436th Airlift Wing

Greetings teammates. My family and I can hardly believe two years have gone by since our arrival to Dover. We have truly been blessed to be part of Team Dover, and our local community. It is with heavy hearts for us to say goodbye to each of you. 

You are an amazing team -- you deliver excellence in rapid global mobility, to protect our American way of life in a way nobody else can. Reflecting on what makes Team Dover special, it’s truly the people.  You are bold leaders, innovators and the ultimate team players.

As I reflect on what you have done over the last two years, your focus on mission excellence is unmatched. You safely executed more than 2,000 flight hours per month, airlifted 234 million pounds of cargo, 125,000 passengers and processed, with 100 percent reliability, 146 million pounds of cargo, 8,000 aircraft and 27,000 passengers through the Department of Defense’s “Super Port.” You also trained the next generation of C-5M Super Galaxy aircrew, and deployed to every theater in the world to enable combat power for our country. You lead our command in nearly every aircraft maintenance statistic and the partnership between all Team Dover units is unequalled from any place I have seen. You’ve won multiple Team awards at the Major Command and Combatant Command level for excellence in innovation, teamwork, mission and installation. Over the last two years, Team Dover has produced 115 Air Force and MAJCOM level award wins – you are the pros from Dover, thank you for being the best at what you do.

Your programs to take care of our people and families are world-class. From the implementation of food transformation, the opening of a flight line food service kiosk, multiple new campus style dining options for our Airmen and the advent of 24-hour fitness at one of the best fitness centers in the Air Force, to name just a few.   

Your success has been enabled by the best mission partners in the DoD. Every Team Dover win was made possible through our venerable mission partners, and specifically the 512 Airlift Wing, Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations, Joint Personal Effects Depot, Armed Forces Medical Examiner System and of course, our Delaware Air National Guard. These selfless teammates are always focused on doing things right, and they enable our success every day, never looking to get credit, but they most certainly deserve it.

On behalf of my family, we count our blessings to have known you all. We also have a deep appreciation for our local community, their friendship and also for their hard work and dedication to make Dover AFB a magnificent assignment. We have the most engaged Congressional Delegation in the country, and an exceptionally impressive local civic, business leaders and honorary commanders who collaborate to meet our every need.  You are also amazing teammates -- at the forefront of new initiatives, collaborating to bring value, innovation and new opportunities to the people, mission and families of Team Dover.

Team Dover is gaining an amazing leader in Col. Ethan Griffin. He is absolutely the best commander for this wing and I know you will welcome him, his wife Erin and their three sons. Finally, thank you for your sacrifices, and everything your families do to serve this great nation. My hope for each of you when your service is done, is to be able to tell your grandchildren and your friends, the time spent in our Air Force was the highlight of your life. Serving as your commander has been the greatest privilege of my Air Force career, and I thank you for the opportunity. Thank you all, I will be admiring you as I transition to life after the Air Force -- God Bless!