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Happy Holidays!

  • Published
  • By Gen Darren McDew
  • Air Mobility Command
Oct. 9, 2014 --  Mobility Airmen,

Every day you do something special. The holidays are one of my favorite times of the year, and not just because of the season, but because it's another opportunity for me to pass on my thanks and gratitude.

This truly has been a tremendous year for AMC, and you and your families should be proud of what you've accomplished, just as Evelyn and I are proud of you.

I want to take this time to say to each of you, thank you. I am thankful for the phenomenal things you do every day to support our mobility air forces, the Air Force, and the nation. Few other people in this country are quite as affected by world events as we are in the mobility air forces. Any crisis in the world, whether hostile or humanitarian, can trigger the need for our unique capabilities--and with your hard work, we always deliver.

I'm proud to say we have bold, innovative Airmen in our command like MSgt Curtis Davis from McConnell AFB, Kansas. With the permission of the Air Force, he made a boom azimuth pulley for the KC-135 Stratotanker, costing $500 versus the $10,000 it would cost to purchase from a contractor.

I'll give you a few more reasons to be proud.

The Airmen at Travis AFB, California, are saving the Air Force more than $1 million a year by switching from JP-8 to Jet A fuel.

The C-5M obtained initial operational capability with the arrival of the sixteenth C-5M at Dover AFB, Delaware.

McConnell AFB was selected as the first active-duty-led KC-46A Main Operating Base.

We successfully transitioned operations from Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, to Mihail Kogalniceanu AB, Romania, without missing a beat.

We celebrated the 60th anniversary of the C-130, one of our most versatile and agile aircraft, and the 65th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift--both highlighting that mobility has been and continues to be one of the most important capabilities our service provides to this nation. We also marked the 67th birthday of our U.S. Air Force--67 years of our remarkable Airmen providing airpower to the nation and to our allies and partners around the globe.

None of this would be possible without our most important asset--each and every one of you.

Our service has gotten smaller this year as a result of force management, and our structure is evolving with the announcement of the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center. But amidst these changes, the importance of AMC's mission will not change, nor will our standards.

This holiday season, we'll again see mobility Airmen forward deployed, taking care of our nation's business around the world. Please keep these Airmen and their families in your thoughts--along with all of our Airmen and sister service members who are away from home, protecting the nation. Evelyn and I think of them always and wish a safe return for all.

If you are able, please take some hard-earned time off to spend with your loved ones--but don't forget to think through your plans, make good choices, and minimize risks. Commanders and supervisors, you're responsible for the Airmen you lead. You must encourage and enforce responsibility, foster the Wingman culture in your units and workplaces, and minimize safety and health risks. Airmen must comply with safety and health standards, and, as wingmen, do the right thing when they see their fellow Airmen about to make a poor decision. They should be committed to saving a life and, in turn, ensuring mission success.

To all the Airmen who support our mobility enterprise every day around the world, Evelyn and I wish you and your family happy holidays this season and, again, our thanks to you and your families for what you do each and every day.

- Gen Darren McDew