Sergeant 3rd Air Force Warriors, First and foremost, it’s truly been an honor to serve with you as the 3rd Air Force command chief master sergeant. It is a time I will always cherish and I thank each of you for the friendly, supportive, warrior spirit you have shared with my bride, Peggy, and me.
I’m extremely impressed with the collective, positive energy you display daily. Your “lean-forward” attitude propels you as individuals, and it’s the fuel that drives
the 3rd AF warrior ethos. You should be proud of the outstanding operational support you have provided to the combatant commanders in support of the Global War on Terror. As USAFE’s operational arm, we have delivered incredible fi ghting power and reach-back capability to our forward-deployed warriors.
Our unit being the fi rst Numbered Air Force to be certifi ed as a joint task force
opened up an awesome array of packages that we can deliver in support of the
warriors downrange or to lend a helping hand to a regional ally in need of help. We’ve raised the bar on the international expectations of a Numbered Air Force.
This could not have happened without everyone within 3rd AF pulling their share
of the load. Following our certifi cation, we were tasked as the JTF lead for Operation
NOMAD FIRE, which required security operations for the president of the United States during a fi ve-country African tour. Your professionalism and individual accountability made this very high-priority tasking look routine. That was a very big deal and just one of the many shining examples as to why I routinely say “Third Air Force rocks!”
As I depart USAFE en route to my next assignment, I remind you all to continue
taking care of each other. Warriors taking care of warriors is a very big deal. As we downsized the force, the role and signifi cance of each individual grew. In addition to taking care of each other, we must remain focused on taking care of ourselves.
Operationally, we continually do a great job performing the mission and getting the
tough jobs done. I challenge each of you to take that same aggressive approach to
preparing yourselves for the future.
One of the best ways to prepare for the future is to begin a systematic, financial savings or investment plan to prepare you and your family for the coming years. Throughout my career, I’ve routinely encountered hard-charging warriors devoted to the mission of the Air Force, but who failed to develop the same proactive approach to their personal future.
As you can imagine, the future for those well-deserving warriors did not turn out as
fruitful as we all would have desired. I urge each of you to perform a financial check-up to ensure you are doing the things necessary to secure your family’s fi nancial future. Paying yourself first by making periodic investments into a thrift saving plan, Roth individual retirement account or some other investment program is a very good start.
Taking care of yourselves as well as each other is a part of taking care of the mission. In parting, please remember – attitude is everything.
Sometimes external forces can drive you to think a certain way, but in the end, we
are the commanders of our own bodies and minds. Your attitude is stronger than any other force in the world and it alone can determine your altitude. May God
continue to bless all of you … Rock on!
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Sergeant 3rd Air Force Warriors, First and foremost, it’s truly been an honor to serve with you as the 3rd Air Force command chief master sergeant. It is a time I will always cherish and I thank each of you for the friendly, supportive, warrior spirit you have shared with my bride, Peggy, and me.
I’m extremely impressed with the collective, positive energy you display daily. Your “lean-forward” attitude propels you as individuals, and it’s the fuel that drives
the 3rd AF warrior ethos. You should be proud of the outstanding operational support you have provided to the combatant commanders in support of the Global War on Terror. As USAFE’s operational arm, we have delivered incredible fi ghting power and reach-back capability to our forward-deployed warriors.
Our unit being the fi rst Numbered Air Force to be certifi ed as a joint task force
opened up an awesome array of packages that we can deliver in support of the
warriors downrange or to lend a helping hand to a regional ally in need of help. We’ve raised the bar on the international expectations of a Numbered Air Force.
This could not have happened without everyone within 3rd AF pulling their share
of the load. Following our certifi cation, we were tasked as the JTF lead for Operation
NOMAD FIRE, which required security operations for the president of the United States during a fi ve-country African tour. Your professionalism and individual accountability made this very high-priority tasking look routine. That was a very big deal and just one of the many shining examples as to why I routinely say “Third Air Force rocks!”
As I depart USAFE en route to my next assignment, I remind you all to continue
taking care of each other. Warriors taking care of warriors is a very big deal. As we downsized the force, the role and signifi cance of each individual grew. In addition to taking care of each other, we must remain focused on taking care of ourselves.
Operationally, we continually do a great job performing the mission and getting the
tough jobs done. I challenge each of you to take that same aggressive approach to
preparing yourselves for the future.
One of the best ways to prepare for the future is to begin a systematic, financial savings or investment plan to prepare you and your family for the coming years. Throughout my career, I’ve routinely encountered hard-charging warriors devoted to the mission of the Air Force, but who failed to develop the same proactive approach to their personal future.
As you can imagine, the future for those well-deserving warriors did not turn out as
fruitful as we all would have desired. I urge each of you to perform a financial check-up to ensure you are doing the things necessary to secure your family’s fi nancial future. Paying yourself first by making periodic investments into a thrift saving plan, Roth individual retirement account or some other investment program is a very good start.
Taking care of yourselves as well as each other is a part of taking care of the mission. In parting, please remember – attitude is everything.
Sometimes external forces can drive you to think a certain way, but in the end, we
are the commanders of our own bodies and minds. Your attitude is stronger than any other force in the world and it alone can determine your altitude. May God
continue to bless all of you … Rock on!