Keep on Rolling

  • Published
  • By Col. Philip McDaniel
  • 39th Air Base Wing Commander
INCIRLIK AIR FORCE BASE, Turkey --  Thank you for the warm welcome and for making the change of command a memorable event; my family and I are blown away by your professionalism and hospitality. We look forward to being part of Team Incirlik and working with all of you.

I have watched Team Incirlik from afar the past few months and am convinced you know what needs to be done and how to do it. Simply stated, the accolades you've accumulated recently speak for themselves. I know the wing will not skip a beat as you press ahead with getting the mission done and taking care of our people.

As for my primary job; I can sum it up in a few words: to supply each of you with the tools, resources and environment you need to get the job done - and done smartly. Everything your leadership does feeds into this basic premise.

What is important to me? Living our Air Force core values; Integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do provide powerful guidance on how we should live our lives and perform our duties. These values form the foundation upon which we've built our Air Force into the greatest in history and should guide our daily efforts. Additionally, respect for every member of the team is critical to our success. We must all remember that every member of Team Incirlik contributes to getting the mission done; from the drivers of the base taxi to the person on duty in the control tower or guarding our valuable assets. Every member of Team Incirlik deserves our respect for who they are and their contribution to the mission.

Two areas which are key enablers of our mission are Safety and Security. First safety; we must mold safety into everything we do, on and off duty. Taking care of ourselves and each other is critical to not just our health and well being, it is equally important to achieving the mission. The Wingman program is important to taking care of one another and checking each other's six. However, I want everyone to remember that personal accountability is important as well. We are accountable for our actions and need to use smart risk management to help guide our actions.

Moving to security, despite the fact that we recently transitioned to FPCON Bravo, the fact remains we must stay vigilant for those who might do us harm. The bottom line here is that we can't let our guard down for a moment and must remain vigilant at all times. We need each and every member of Team Incirlik to be a sensor in the network that protects us and our assets. If you see something that seems odd or out of place you should report it immediately so law enforcement officials can investigate. Our security is in the hands of each of us, not just our law enforcement professionals.

You've all accomplished some truly amazing things and I'm excited to join Team Incirlik. I look forward to working with all of you to take us to the next level of even greater achievement!