Command Corner: March 28

  • Published
  • By Col. Eric Wydra
  • 436th Airlift Wing
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  April may begin with practical jokes, but the operational readiness inspection preparation schedule for this month is no laughing matter. We currently have more exercises scheduled for the month of April than any other month, from a deployed location exercise beginning April 1 to the fly-away exercise at the end of the month. Team Dover will be extremely busy as we engage in all of these exercises, maintain the intensity needed to fulfill continuous support of our nation's airlift requirements, and balance this with our family and social lives. 

In fact, every day of the year Team Dover moves more cargo than all of the bases in Air Mobility Command combined! Your commitment to excellence extends beyond the fence line as well. The Airlifter has recounted countless stories of your brilliance on the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the selfless contributions each of you have made serving the local communities at home and abroad. 

I often consider Team Dover's zeal for success as the difference maker in everything we do, and our winning attitude will go a long way in the eyes of the inspector general. I also have found the axiom "champions aren't born, they're made" an interesting though sometimes debated statement. In the coming months we're going to measure your desire, determination and dedication in the form of the ORI. The preparation exercises are a precursor to that final test, so I encourage each of you to take these lessons and practices seriously. 

Another event I'm extremely happy that Team Dover takes seriously is this year's "Children's Mobility Line," which was held on March 26. Please join me in thanking Tech. Sgt. Shawn Swanson, and all of the agencies that collaborated with the Airmen and Family Readiness Center to demonstrate and explain to more than 240 of Team Dover's family members what their parents do to prepare and process for a deployment. What a fantastic and fun way to provide our families with a clear glimpse of what it takes to maintain and employ our global mobility mission. 

Another fantastic program that is currently underway is this year's Air Force Assistance Fund, and I'm encouraged by the fact that we've raised more than 57 percent of our installation's goal. Let's keep the momentum going and ensure the resources we raise are readily available for those in need. With more than three weeks left in the campaign, I want to thank our current contributors and encourage those that are interested in making a contribution to talk to a key worker in your unit today. 

Taking a winning attitude to the ORI while delivering freedom around the world; orchestrating the "Children's Mobility Line" while assisting those in need ... just a few more reasons that Team Dover is "America's Preeminent Expeditionary Airlift Team!"