Former commander offers farewell thoughts

  • Published
  • By Col. William H. Edwards, Jr.
  • 932nd Airlift Wing
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill --  To all of the incredibly dedicated
airmen and families of the 932nd,
let me start with "Thank You!" This has
been the most tremendous and rewarding
experience of my AF career--and the reward
was getting to know each and every one of
you--and see the way you mold the 932nd
into such a top-notch organization.

Most of you have lived through some
fairly significant changes in aircraft, mission
and overall growth. Through it all, you
have retained the key ingredient that holds
any Reserve unit together, and that is you all
think of each other as "family!" I have seen
it in you at work and at play; at picnics, holiday
parties, Octoberfests; in pre-deployment
activities, deployments, care for families of
deployed members; SAVs, LCAPs, HSIs,
CIs and an ORI. No matter what is on the
agenda, it comes off as "just another event on
the family calendar" where everyone pitches
in and makes it happen!

I mentioned at the September
commander's call that we have
done quite a lot in the last two
years, but I don't want the "takeaway"
to be focused on the past
tense of that phrase. All of your
achievements have done far more
to pave the way ahead for our future
missions, as well as for other
AFRC units. You have set the standard for
the "VIPSAM ORI"; blazed new trails in
the world of Total Force Integration (TFI)
that others have already begun to follow;
built new bridges in the "host-tenant" environment
that are paying new "Smart Ops"
dividends as the AF continues to draw down,
and we are still finding new ways to keep the
mission moving. These are just the big ticket
items that are floating above the surface.
Behind the scenes, you have risen to the
challenges of manpower reductions, renovations,
unit relocations, re-designations and
stand-ups without missing a beat.

As I recount all of these achievements,
I have to plagiarize a statement from a previous
Gateway article: "We are solidly in the
midst of doing exactly what we 'do for a living'
as Air Force reservists, and it's no surprise
given the incredible caliber and potential that
exists within the 932nd."

Over the past 23 months, almost 200
932nd members from every organization have
left family and friends behind in order to deploy
in support of global operations of every
shape and size. We have said good-bye to a few
and welcomed as many into the fold. We have
lost friends and colleagues along the way, but
strengthened each other in those sad times. We
have discovered new leaders within our midst
that have spurred us on to realize even greater
opportunities and to leave yet another "mark of
excellence" for others to benchmark.

I would like to draw your attention to the inscription
on our new wing coins. We spent considerable
time looking for the right words that would be
worthy of underscoring our insignia and each
of you whom this coin represents. This is an
excerpt from one of Abraham Lincoln's many
letters and speeches.

The entire line reads: "Beware of rashness,
but with energy and sleepless vigilance,
go forward, and give us victories." It was the
closing line of a letter which Lincoln handed
to Gen. Joseph Hooker in January 1863 after
meeting with him at the White House
and awarding him command of the
Army of the Potomac. For history
buffs, you will know that it was a
well-deserved "admonition" for
Hooker, but the intended advice from
the author of these words is worth
repeating. The war was at an equilibrium
and could go either way...the
Union army was in dire need of strong
leadership, but could not afford another setback
resulting from rash decisions or over-cautious
generals. Hence, Lincoln gave him the vote of
confidence and support to...go forward and
bring us victories!

To each and every one of you, I offer a
part of the same note of encouragement, go
forward and bring us (continued) victories! I
am proud beyond words to have served each
and every one of you because I know there truly
is "Excellence in all you do!"

Faith and I are truly grateful for the opportunity to have been a
part of this great organization and this amazing
family of airmen--if only for a brief period.
We thank you and look forward to catching up
with many of you in the future.

NOTE:  Col. Edwards handed over the wing to new commander, Col. Albert Lupenski on October 16, 2011