US Air Force Commander,  92d Air Refueling Wing, Fairchild Air Force Base

A legacy of military service; a foundation for defending freedom. Those simple words began my story at the age of five when I decided to follow in the footsteps of my grandfather who had served as a pilot in World War II in the US Army Air Corps and went on to make it an Air Force career. He taught me servant leadership to family, to community, to country, to faith. As a third generation Air Force aviator, I wake up every day thankful of the legacy my family started back in 1941.

Family can be credited with creating the person I am today. My mother and father taught me words with profound lifelong impacts: respect, dedication, work ethic, humility, perseverance and loyalty. Words simple in syntax, yet they ensured I understood not only what they meant, but also how to live out their meaning in everything I did. I guess in doing so they also demonstrated the word, patience.

My wife and children are my sources of strength and inspiration. From living on both coasts to living overseas, they have endured with boundless patriotism. For I believe those who wait during deployments and move during assignments, equally serve their nation. As I noted during my change of command speech, this recent arrival to Washington marked our fourth move to four states with four children in four years; resiliency is a crucial virtue to have. I am blessed to have their guidance and support.

Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps . . . my family has service in them all. From our perspective, we were lucky to be able to serve such fine organizations. Organizations that provided for us much more than we felt we could ever provide back, though we were willing to with our lives.

In reflecting what our country has so graciously provided me, I will share what I have learned from those with whom I have served. Officer, enlisted, civilian . . . I have learned equally from all.  What made their words of wisdom memorable is straightforward . . . I trusted them implicitly.

Here are but a very few examples of what my military service has taught me:

– Value people who do the right thing even when no one is looking: it defines integrity.

– Value people who want to accomplish something rather than be something.

– Value people who, in an organization, use words like “we” and “us” versus “I” and “mine.”

– Value people who are critical thinkers who offer solutions to problems with facts and reasoning . . . critics who only offer emotion are a dime a dozen and are counter to team success.

– Value people who mentor and teach everyone in the organization, not just those who look like them or who they like.

– Value people who are great followers, as it is required to being a great leader.

– Value people who set out clear expectations and provide robust feedback.

– Value people who maintain a strong sense of empathy and compassion for those around them.

– Value people who know the difference between making a mistake and committing a crime . . . making mistakes is part of learning.

– Value people who spend and protect organizational resources as if they were their own.

– Value people who strive for a balanced life: physical, social, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing are vital to long-term success.

– Value people who work to get the job done, regardless of who gets the credit.

– Value people who understand that diversity of thought in the people who make up our great country make our military and nation stronger.

Developing the next generation of leaders and striving for organizational excellence are neither end states nor final destinations, but rather parts of a lifelong journey that I believe you should always keep refining and perfecting.

The team at Fairchild Air Force Base will continue the legacy of excellence, of dedication, of triumph, and of perseverance. The defense of our nation demands we focus on executing the mission first with well-trained citizens at the front. Be proud of the men and women who defend the United States from the basalt plains of the Inland Northwest, who make airpower response options global, who make reach capabilities endless, who make disaster and humanitarian responses rapid, who make worldwide agile combat support reliable. In short, they make your United States Air Force operational. I am truly lucky to be able to serve with such great patriots.

Those I meet often thank me for my service to the country. For those words I am thankful, but I remind people this country is great not only because of the sacrifices of the men and women in the military, but because of the strength, hard work, character and dedication to our founding principles that are displayed by its citizens every day that made this country free. For without strong communities, there is not a strong country. The astonishingly supportive community Fairchild Air Force Base gets to call home humbles me.

It is your base and you are our community. Both have a remarkable heritage built upon the amazing accomplishments of amazing people during amazing times throughout our nation’s amazing history. What I know . . . is that at Team Fairchild your active duty, guard, reserve, civilian and mission partners will continue the legacy of service to our nation in order to provide a foundation, solidified with the threads of a strong community, from which to defend freedom.

Thank you for the support and dedication. Forever in your service.