MISSION, MUTUAL SUPPORT, AND FLIGHT DISCIPLINE.
THESE THREE PRINCIPLES HAVE BECOME OUR IDENTITY BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN BREATHED INTO THE SOUL OF OUR SQUADRON – THEY HAVE MEANING TO EACH OF US, AND THEY HAVE GUIDED US IN THE AIR AND ON THE GROUND.
BECAUSE THEY ARE A SUBSET OF GENERAL MACARTHUR’S ‘DUTY – HONOR – COUNTRY’ AND A SUBSET OF OUR OWN AIR FORCE CORE VALUES OF INTEGRITY – EXCELLENCE – SERVICE - THEY ARE TIMELESS.
THIS VISION – MISSION, MUTUAL SUPPORT, FLIGHT DISCIPLINE – IS TO ME IN MANY WAYS- THE GOSPEL OF FIGHTER AVIATION – AND THE REASON I HAVE BEEN EVANGELICAL WITH THESE THREE IMPERATIVES TO YOU IS BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WHEN WE KEEP OUR EYES ON THEM, WHEN WE FOLLOW THE THREE ELEMENTS OF THIS VISION, WE ARE ABLE TO ACHIEVE, TOGETHER, UNPRECEDENTED LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE BOTH IN THE AIR, AND ON THE GROUND.
THE MISSION, IS EVERYTHING. IT’S THE REASON WE’RE HERE. THE MISSION IS LETHAL AIRPOWER ON TARGET ON TIME.
BUT THERE ARE, IN OUR BUSINESS, SO MANY DISTRACTIONS FROM OUR MISSION THAT SOMETIMES IT’S DIFFICULT TO SEE OUR PATH CLEARLY. AS WE PREPARED TOGETHER FOR THIS COMBAT DEPLOYMENT AS WE SHARPENED OUR EDGE AND TRAINED 22 FIRST-TIME DEPLOYERS FOR CRITICAL COMBAT OPERATIONS IN AFGHANISTAN– WE FACED MANY DISTRACTIONS FROM OUR MISSION – OUR F-15E FLEET WAS GROUNDED. A STAN EVAL INSPECTION A SNIPER POD SHORTAGE. VERY FEW SUITE 5 JETS WITH WHICH TO TRAIN WITH FOR COMBAT. AND DESPITE ALL THESE AND MANY MORE – ALL OF YOU REMAINED FOCUSED ON OUR MISSION, BOTH IN TRAINING AND MOST RECENTLY IN COMBAT - BECAUSE OF THE PHENOMENAL LEADERSHIP WHICH IS RESIDENT WITHIN EACH OF YOU.
I’VE SAID BEFORE THAT I BELIEVE WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED IN THE CHIEFS WITH THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF PURE OFFICERSHIP TALENT OF ANY ORGANIZATION I’VE EVER KNOWN, AND IT PERPETUATES ITSELF– YOUR WORLD-CLASS LEADERSHIP AT THE CAPTAIN AND SUPERVISORY LEVELS IS WHAT KEPT US LOCKED ON THE MISSION, AND IS WHAT DROVE US EVERY DAY AT BAGRAM TO PERFORM IN COMBAT WITH PRECISION.
IN A PERSONAL WAY, I HAVE VIEWED MY OWN MISSION IN TWO PARTS: PREPARE US FOR AND EXECUTE COMBAT AIRPOWER IN AFGHANISTAN, AND BRING ALL OUR CHIEFS BACK HOME SAFELY. AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT WHEN FLAK WILLIS AND I LOOKED BACK AT 13 STRIKE EAGLES BEHIND US AFTER OUR TRIP ACROSS THE ATLANTIC, AND WE TAXIED IN ON THIS RAMP WITH ALL CHIEFS SAFELY MISSION COMPLETE, IT WAS A HIGHLIGHT OF MY LIFE.
MUTUAL SUPPORT
MUTUAL SUPPORT IS THE ESSENCE OF FIGHTER AVIATION, AND IT’S THE ESSENCE OF CHIEF STANDARD. YOU HAVE SET AND ENFORCED THE HIGHEST STANDARDS FOR EACH OTHER, ON – DURING TRAINING, DURING 3 FLAG EXERCISES, DURING OUR SPIN-UP, AND DURING COMBAT. YOU TOOK CARE OF EACH OTHER IN THE TOUGHEST FLYING ARENA IN THE WORLD – 20 THOUSAND FOOT MOUNTAINS, LOW CEILINGS, MASSIVE THUNDERSTORMS ON THE PAKISTAN BORDER. YOU TOOK CARE OF EACH OTHER, AND TOGETHER – WE TOOK CARE OF OUR BROTHERS ON THE GROUND, UNDER FIRE, FROM THE ENEMY IN THE HILLS ABOVE THEM. THROUGH MUTUAL SUPPORT WE HAVE MADE EACH OTHER BEST, AND WE HAVE BROUGHT EACH OTHER HOME, EVERY TIME.
FLIGHT DISCIPLINE
FLIGHT DISCIPLINE IS REALLY TWO THINGS – IT’S DOING THE THING RIGHT, AND DOING THE RIGHT THING.
OFTEN, IN OUR BUSINESS – WE FOCUS SHARPLY, AND RIGHTLY SO- ON DOING THE THING RIGHT- ON OUR BOMB SCORES, ON OUR WEAPONS TALLY, ON OUR NUMBER OF SUCCESSFUL ENGAGEMENTS WITH THE ENEMY. WE DO THIS BECAUSE WE TRAIN SO HARD FOR IT MONTH AFTER MONTH AT HOME, AND BECAUSE IN COMBAT – EVERY BOMB IS A POTENTIAL STRATEGIC EVENT. DURING THIS DEPLOYMENT, WE DROPPED A LOT OF BOMBS, ALMOST DAILY, AND WE SHOT A LOT OF ROUNDS – AND WE DID IT WITH GREAT PRECISION, ALL FOR WHICH I AM VERY PROUD.
BUT WHAT I AM MOST PROUD OF AS YOUR COMMANDER, AND IT’S A NUMBER WE NEVER KEEP – ARE THE BOMBS WE DIDN’T DROP. THE ROUNDS WE DIDN’T SHOOT. THE TIMES WE RECOMMENDED SHOWS OF FORCE WHEN THE GROUND COMMANDER INITIALLY THOUGHT HE WANTED WEAPONS, THE TIMES WE RECOMMENDED 500 POUNDS WHEN THEY ASKED FOR 2000- DELAYED IMPACT INSTEAD OF INSTANTANEOUS – BECAUSE IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
OUR YOUNGEST AVIATORS, ‘CLEARED HOT’ BY THE GROUND COMMANDER TO DESTROY BUILDINGS OR DESTROY MOVING VEHICLES – AND YOU ABORTED THE PASS BECAUSE YOU RECOGNIZED FRIENDLY TROOPS THERE, OR YOU RECOGNIZED THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING TOWARDS INNOCENT CIVILIANS – AND YOU WAITED.
YOU DID THE RIGHT THING. AND THAT’S THE FLIGHT DISCIPLINE THAT REALLY MATTERS TO ME. ALTHOUGH OUR MISSION IS LETHAL AIRPOWER, AS PROFESSIONAL WARRIORS- YOU HAVE RECOGNIZED THAT FOR OUR NATION TO WIN IN AFGHANISTAN – THE AFGHANS MUST VIEW US NOT AS BREAKERS BUT BUILDERS, AND NOT AS FOREIGN FIGHTERS BUT AS FRIENDS. THANK YOU FOR KNOWING THE STRATEGIC MASS OF EACH AND EVERY DECISION YOU MADE FOR OUR NATION IN THE COCKPIT.
BUT WHEN IT CAME TIME TO FIGHT THE ENEMY, TO PROTECT AMERICANS- TO PROTECT OUR BRITISH AND CANADIAN ALLIES UNDER FIRE - YOU NEVER HESITATED - AND YOU DID IT WITH PROFOUND FLIGHT DISCIPLINE.
TOGETHER, AS CHIEFS OVER THE LAST 19 MONTHS, WE HAVE MADE OURSELVES READY FOR THE MISSION – WE HAD OUR BAGS PACKED, WE HAD OUR BLADES SHARP, AND WE HAD OUR MINDS RIGHT.
WE FLEW THOSE JETS DOWNRANGE, AND WE TOOK THE FIGHT TO THE ENEMY SO HE WON’T BRING HIS FIGHT HERE TO OUR FAMILIES AND OUR CHILDREN
AND WE HAVE WORN THE CLOTH OF OUR NATION, PROUDLY, BECAUSE OUR NATION HAS TRUSTED US WITH ITS MOST IMPORTANT BUSINESS. WE PREPARED FOR AND EXECUTED THE BUSINESS OF COMBAT AIRPOWER WITH INTENSITY, WITH DISCIPLINE, AND WITH LETHAL FOCUS.
AND WE HAVE DONE SO IN A WAY WHICH HAS HONORED THE SERVICE OF ALL THOSE GREAT AMERICANS WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR OUR COUNTRY DURING OUR TIME WITH THEM IN AFGHANISTAN, AND THOSE MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE WORN THIS UNIFORM, AND WORN THIS PATCH- BEFORE US.
WE HAVE DONE GOOD WORK, AND I HAVE ENJOYED EVERY SINGLE MINUTE OF IT SERVING YOU AS YOUR COMMANDER. YOU HAVE TAUGHT ME MUCH MORE THAN I COULD HAVE EVER TAUGHT YOU. AND I AM SO MUCH BETTER FOR HAVING KNOWN YOU ALL. I THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY, AND I THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMITMENT TO OUR MISSION.
MAY GOD BLESS OUR GREAT NATION.
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THESE THREE PRINCIPLES HAVE BECOME OUR IDENTITY BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN BREATHED INTO THE SOUL OF OUR SQUADRON – THEY HAVE MEANING TO EACH OF US, AND THEY HAVE GUIDED US IN THE AIR AND ON THE GROUND.
BECAUSE THEY ARE A SUBSET OF GENERAL MACARTHUR’S ‘DUTY – HONOR – COUNTRY’ AND A SUBSET OF OUR OWN AIR FORCE CORE VALUES OF INTEGRITY – EXCELLENCE – SERVICE - THEY ARE TIMELESS.
THIS VISION – MISSION, MUTUAL SUPPORT, FLIGHT DISCIPLINE – IS TO ME IN MANY WAYS- THE GOSPEL OF FIGHTER AVIATION – AND THE REASON I HAVE BEEN EVANGELICAL WITH THESE THREE IMPERATIVES TO YOU IS BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WHEN WE KEEP OUR EYES ON THEM, WHEN WE FOLLOW THE THREE ELEMENTS OF THIS VISION, WE ARE ABLE TO ACHIEVE, TOGETHER, UNPRECEDENTED LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE BOTH IN THE AIR, AND ON THE GROUND.
THE MISSION, IS EVERYTHING. IT’S THE REASON WE’RE HERE. THE MISSION IS LETHAL AIRPOWER ON TARGET ON TIME.
BUT THERE ARE, IN OUR BUSINESS, SO MANY DISTRACTIONS FROM OUR MISSION THAT SOMETIMES IT’S DIFFICULT TO SEE OUR PATH CLEARLY. AS WE PREPARED TOGETHER FOR THIS COMBAT DEPLOYMENT AS WE SHARPENED OUR EDGE AND TRAINED 22 FIRST-TIME DEPLOYERS FOR CRITICAL COMBAT OPERATIONS IN AFGHANISTAN– WE FACED MANY DISTRACTIONS FROM OUR MISSION – OUR F-15E FLEET WAS GROUNDED. A STAN EVAL INSPECTION A SNIPER POD SHORTAGE. VERY FEW SUITE 5 JETS WITH WHICH TO TRAIN WITH FOR COMBAT. AND DESPITE ALL THESE AND MANY MORE – ALL OF YOU REMAINED FOCUSED ON OUR MISSION, BOTH IN TRAINING AND MOST RECENTLY IN COMBAT - BECAUSE OF THE PHENOMENAL LEADERSHIP WHICH IS RESIDENT WITHIN EACH OF YOU.
I’VE SAID BEFORE THAT I BELIEVE WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED IN THE CHIEFS WITH THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF PURE OFFICERSHIP TALENT OF ANY ORGANIZATION I’VE EVER KNOWN, AND IT PERPETUATES ITSELF– YOUR WORLD-CLASS LEADERSHIP AT THE CAPTAIN AND SUPERVISORY LEVELS IS WHAT KEPT US LOCKED ON THE MISSION, AND IS WHAT DROVE US EVERY DAY AT BAGRAM TO PERFORM IN COMBAT WITH PRECISION.
IN A PERSONAL WAY, I HAVE VIEWED MY OWN MISSION IN TWO PARTS: PREPARE US FOR AND EXECUTE COMBAT AIRPOWER IN AFGHANISTAN, AND BRING ALL OUR CHIEFS BACK HOME SAFELY. AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT WHEN FLAK WILLIS AND I LOOKED BACK AT 13 STRIKE EAGLES BEHIND US AFTER OUR TRIP ACROSS THE ATLANTIC, AND WE TAXIED IN ON THIS RAMP WITH ALL CHIEFS SAFELY MISSION COMPLETE, IT WAS A HIGHLIGHT OF MY LIFE.
MUTUAL SUPPORT
MUTUAL SUPPORT IS THE ESSENCE OF FIGHTER AVIATION, AND IT’S THE ESSENCE OF CHIEF STANDARD. YOU HAVE SET AND ENFORCED THE HIGHEST STANDARDS FOR EACH OTHER, ON – DURING TRAINING, DURING 3 FLAG EXERCISES, DURING OUR SPIN-UP, AND DURING COMBAT. YOU TOOK CARE OF EACH OTHER IN THE TOUGHEST FLYING ARENA IN THE WORLD – 20 THOUSAND FOOT MOUNTAINS, LOW CEILINGS, MASSIVE THUNDERSTORMS ON THE PAKISTAN BORDER. YOU TOOK CARE OF EACH OTHER, AND TOGETHER – WE TOOK CARE OF OUR BROTHERS ON THE GROUND, UNDER FIRE, FROM THE ENEMY IN THE HILLS ABOVE THEM. THROUGH MUTUAL SUPPORT WE HAVE MADE EACH OTHER BEST, AND WE HAVE BROUGHT EACH OTHER HOME, EVERY TIME.
FLIGHT DISCIPLINE
FLIGHT DISCIPLINE IS REALLY TWO THINGS – IT’S DOING THE THING RIGHT, AND DOING THE RIGHT THING.
OFTEN, IN OUR BUSINESS – WE FOCUS SHARPLY, AND RIGHTLY SO- ON DOING THE THING RIGHT- ON OUR BOMB SCORES, ON OUR WEAPONS TALLY, ON OUR NUMBER OF SUCCESSFUL ENGAGEMENTS WITH THE ENEMY. WE DO THIS BECAUSE WE TRAIN SO HARD FOR IT MONTH AFTER MONTH AT HOME, AND BECAUSE IN COMBAT – EVERY BOMB IS A POTENTIAL STRATEGIC EVENT. DURING THIS DEPLOYMENT, WE DROPPED A LOT OF BOMBS, ALMOST DAILY, AND WE SHOT A LOT OF ROUNDS – AND WE DID IT WITH GREAT PRECISION, ALL FOR WHICH I AM VERY PROUD.
BUT WHAT I AM MOST PROUD OF AS YOUR COMMANDER, AND IT’S A NUMBER WE NEVER KEEP – ARE THE BOMBS WE DIDN’T DROP. THE ROUNDS WE DIDN’T SHOOT. THE TIMES WE RECOMMENDED SHOWS OF FORCE WHEN THE GROUND COMMANDER INITIALLY THOUGHT HE WANTED WEAPONS, THE TIMES WE RECOMMENDED 500 POUNDS WHEN THEY ASKED FOR 2000- DELAYED IMPACT INSTEAD OF INSTANTANEOUS – BECAUSE IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
OUR YOUNGEST AVIATORS, ‘CLEARED HOT’ BY THE GROUND COMMANDER TO DESTROY BUILDINGS OR DESTROY MOVING VEHICLES – AND YOU ABORTED THE PASS BECAUSE YOU RECOGNIZED FRIENDLY TROOPS THERE, OR YOU RECOGNIZED THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING TOWARDS INNOCENT CIVILIANS – AND YOU WAITED.
YOU DID THE RIGHT THING. AND THAT’S THE FLIGHT DISCIPLINE THAT REALLY MATTERS TO ME. ALTHOUGH OUR MISSION IS LETHAL AIRPOWER, AS PROFESSIONAL WARRIORS- YOU HAVE RECOGNIZED THAT FOR OUR NATION TO WIN IN AFGHANISTAN – THE AFGHANS MUST VIEW US NOT AS BREAKERS BUT BUILDERS, AND NOT AS FOREIGN FIGHTERS BUT AS FRIENDS. THANK YOU FOR KNOWING THE STRATEGIC MASS OF EACH AND EVERY DECISION YOU MADE FOR OUR NATION IN THE COCKPIT.
BUT WHEN IT CAME TIME TO FIGHT THE ENEMY, TO PROTECT AMERICANS- TO PROTECT OUR BRITISH AND CANADIAN ALLIES UNDER FIRE - YOU NEVER HESITATED - AND YOU DID IT WITH PROFOUND FLIGHT DISCIPLINE.
TOGETHER, AS CHIEFS OVER THE LAST 19 MONTHS, WE HAVE MADE OURSELVES READY FOR THE MISSION – WE HAD OUR BAGS PACKED, WE HAD OUR BLADES SHARP, AND WE HAD OUR MINDS RIGHT.
WE FLEW THOSE JETS DOWNRANGE, AND WE TOOK THE FIGHT TO THE ENEMY SO HE WON’T BRING HIS FIGHT HERE TO OUR FAMILIES AND OUR CHILDREN
AND WE HAVE WORN THE CLOTH OF OUR NATION, PROUDLY, BECAUSE OUR NATION HAS TRUSTED US WITH ITS MOST IMPORTANT BUSINESS. WE PREPARED FOR AND EXECUTED THE BUSINESS OF COMBAT AIRPOWER WITH INTENSITY, WITH DISCIPLINE, AND WITH LETHAL FOCUS.
AND WE HAVE DONE SO IN A WAY WHICH HAS HONORED THE SERVICE OF ALL THOSE GREAT AMERICANS WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR OUR COUNTRY DURING OUR TIME WITH THEM IN AFGHANISTAN, AND THOSE MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE WORN THIS UNIFORM, AND WORN THIS PATCH- BEFORE US.
WE HAVE DONE GOOD WORK, AND I HAVE ENJOYED EVERY SINGLE MINUTE OF IT SERVING YOU AS YOUR COMMANDER. YOU HAVE TAUGHT ME MUCH MORE THAN I COULD HAVE EVER TAUGHT YOU. AND I AM SO MUCH BETTER FOR HAVING KNOWN YOU ALL. I THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY, AND I THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMITMENT TO OUR MISSION.
MAY GOD BLESS OUR GREAT NATION.
Return to Three Capes Website
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