Thanks for all you do

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Jeffrey Antwine
  • 39th Air Base Wing command chief
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of our outstanding Team Incirlik members for what you do. We have been on a pretty fast pace the last few months, dealing with everything from end-of-year close-outs, deployment preparations, and hosting distinguished visitors to Staff Assistance Visits, exercises, and Unit Compliance Inspection preparations. This pace will likely continue, if not excel, as we continue to plan, schedule and host the current and future rotational squadron deployments, prepare for the manning reductions and budget cuts as well as train for our next surety inspection.

Despite the busy duty schedule, you find the time to meet, plan, and support numerous personal and professional events; The Airmen Leadership School/Noncommissioned Officer Academy graduations, Project Orphanage events, Annual Awards Banquets, Chiefs Recognition Ceremony, Show Stoppers Productions, Honor Guard and Project Cheer events to include The Crossroads Café are but a few of the things many of you volunteer for. You donate so much of your valuable time, primarily to ensure others will enjoy themselves.

What you do day in and day out is a testimony to your commitment to our core values, specifically service before self as you continue to make sacrifices so others may benefit. I can not publicly praise all of you enough to let you know I appreciate you. It is very easy to get consumed in the daily tasks at hand; working to meet suspense's, tackling crises and unfortunately, spending your remaining time with that very small percentage of people (probably less than 2 percent) dealing with alcohol related incidents, or other negative actions and incidents.

I would love to spend more time with the other 98 percent of you who are doing the right things I mentioned earlier, pushing our wing to new heights. Our wing leads U.S. Air Forces in Europe in several measurable categories and we have more than 70 USAFE or higher individual and team annual award winners - it does not get much better.

Our Secretary of the Air Force, major command, and wing commander stood before so many of us last month boasting about our many successes of the recent past and simply thanking us for what we do every day. I echo those thank-yous, and ask each of you to make time in your busy schedules to "smell the roses" by taking some time to thank your subordinates, peers, superiors, friends and family members for the many sacrifices they make and support they give you.