A historic moment

  • Published
  • By Col. Eric Wydra
  • 436 AW vice commander
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Millions of Americans and millions more around the world watched Barack Obama become the 44th President of the United States, in what American Forces Press Service called the "Ultimate Change-of-Command Ceremony." Whatever your political views, it is an inspiration that 44 times in our Nation's history, power has passed peacefully between friends, rivals, opposing parties and differing ideologies, as each President pledged to protect and defend the Constitution.

This historic moment was no different. We have a new commander-in-chief, and there are some who wonder where he will take us. To answer that question, we need only look at the fact that, just like every member of the Armed Forces, the President gave an oath to support and defend our Constitution. President Obama stated: "Our founding fathers, faced with peril that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake."

This inauguration has been termed a pivotal moment in American history, which it no doubt was. But let us not forget that those who serve in our Armed Forces, both past and present, have guaranteed the liberty and security that allows moments such as this to occur. As we celebrate the inauguration and the peaceful transfer of power, know that your sense of duty, selflessness and sacrifice played a major role in allowing this to happen. This was as much your day as it was the new President's.

Along with a new president, we also have a new Vice President. And no one knows better than Vice President Joe Biden what Team Dover has accomplished to support our country's critical global reach mission. Of course, we take more than a little pride in knowing that a "hometowner" is now the Vice President and look forward to his future visits to Dover AFB.

While this inauguration was a historic moment, we still remain committed to fly, fight and win in air, space and cyberspace. We continue to move cargo, fly and fix aircraft, prepare and deploy Airmen, and return America's fallen heroes with dignity, honor and respect. Our mission has not changed, nor has our dedication to it. We will strive to excel, delivering unrivaled global reach for America.

There will be changes, just as any new commander examines the existing methods and seeks to improve them. There will be different goals, and we will meet them with the same commitment we always have, because we are committed to excellence.

We will continue to deliver the necessary cargo to the warfighter, deploy exceptional Airmen to tackle the challenges that our Nation demand, and we will demonstrate to this President just as we have demonstrated in the past that we are America's Preeminent Expeditionary Airlift Team.