Eagle Wing impresses 18 AF CC/CCC

  • Published
  • By Col. Steven Harrison
  • 436th AW commander
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Once again, I'd like to offer a heartfelt 'thank you' to all the Team Dover members who worked so hard to make the 18th Air Force Commanders and Command Chiefs Conference a success. I continue to receive cards and letters from commanders across Air Mobility Command thanking you and complimenting our men and women for the 'best ever' conference. You made the base look gorgeous for the conference, now let's keep it looking that way for the world's finest mobility Airmen -- Team Dover!

Meanwhile, the standup of the world's newest (and best) C-17 flying organization continues! We received our third C-17 last week in mint condition from the factory at Long Beach, Calif. While our transition to a mixed-platform wing is not complete until next year, all you need to do is look to the skies over central Delaware to see the visible presence of our newest additions, and they are already being put to good use as we fulfill our Nation's global war-fighting mission.

Speaking of newly-minted airpower, last week we also celebrated with 37 of our master sergeant selects who proudly took on their enhanced leadership roles at the Senior NCO Induction Ceremony. Chief Brye McMillon, 18th AF command chief master sergeant offered the perfect tribute as guest speaker -- what a terrific evening!

This week I was honored to offer several commander's calls for all our Airmen -- enlisted, officer, and civilian. I covered a lot of ground during these sessions, but the message was simple: although we live in a challenging time, we can overcome all obstacles with leadership, creativity, and teamwork. Indeed, there is no other option -- America depends on Team Dover every day to execute humanitarian, combat, and contingency operations around the globe ... and it will do so even more in the future as Dover takes on new and more demanding missions. The reason is simple -- as the East Coast Super Port and the home of the World's Preeminent Expeditionary Airlift Team, no airlift wing in the world can replicate the capabilities you provide around the world and around the clock!

Ultimately, it's all about leadership -- the conviction to demand excellence of ourselves and of others, taking pride in setting the bar higher, finding a way to inspire one another to greater and greater heights, and refusing to accept mediocrity. Along those lines, we've begun rolling out the 'That Guy' program -- a campaign that doesn't preach responsible alcohol use, but instead uses humor to give voice to peer groups that expose excessive drinking as a social turnoff.

In addition, we showcased 721 Airmen, family members, and pets who took on the monthly Warrior Run! Fitness is now fully established as an integral part of the Air Force way of life, so it is great to see the number of participants -- and the fitness levels -- grow each month.

Speaking of a commitment to excellence, tomorrow we will send 26 aircrew, maintainers, aerial porters and security forces Ravens to McChord Air Force Base, Wash., where they will represent Dover AFB in the 2007 Air Mobility Command Rodeo. Many thanks to all who helped bid farewell to this hand-selected team in style at the Landings yesterday afternoon. They'll compete against 55 teams from AMC, sister services, and allied Air Forces. They've been working hard to bring home the trophies and I couldn't be prouder to showcase the best of the best -- Team Dover!