TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Are you ready for Super Bowl XLI?

We, as a nation, made history in the National Football League last weekend. For the first time in sports history, a team with an African-American head coach won a divisional playoff game.

The Super Bowl will mark another historic moment in the sports world when the Chicago Bears take on the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI.

Both teams' head coach are African-Americans. I find it ironic those two victories occurred days before we as a nation begin to acknowledge and celebrate the efforts and contributions African-Americans made towards the development of the land we call the land of the free and the home of the brave.

As we prepare to celebrate African American Heritage month, keep in mind this celebration is not solely for black people. On the contrary, it's intended for all Americans.

I believe it's important for us to know and accept we are a diverse nation and those differences are what makes this wonderful land we live in so majestic.

This country was built on the fundamental principle that all men and women are created equal and possess the same rights.

It is well documented that we as a nation have experienced a great deal of humiliation and discomfort in trying to live up to the true meaning of those profound words. In fact, today we still don't consistently execute or practice what we preach when it comes to diversity.

This, in my opinion, is the reason the Air Force as an institution are dedicated to recognizing the seven "official" observances we celebrate: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's birthday, African American Heritage Month, Women's History Month, Jewish Holocaust Remembrance, Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Hispanic Heritage Month and Native American Heritage Month.

We observe them because we are a nation founded on perfect principles spelled out in our Constitution and Bill of Rights: equality, freedom, democracy and justice for all.

In other words, every man and woman is created equal and must be afforded the same inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Don't get me wrong, our country is second to none and we are the land of opportunity. But, as I alluded to previously, we still have some work to do. I am hoping and praying for the day when we don't have to observe those seven "official" observances and we as a nation live up to those famous words of the late Dr. King, "I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

We accept our historic shortcoming, continue to use those observances to educate Americans and stand united as a nation that's deeply rooted in the principles in which Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton and other members of the Constitutional Congress believed in when they authored the Constitution.

I believe with all my heart you and I are making a difference each and every day we don the uniform, or come to work as a civilians and contribute towards the mission of Team Travis.

We make a difference.

Is our nation perfect? No, but our Air Force is pretty darn close.

However, if you do your part and I'll continue to do mine, then maybe, one day, we won't need policies such as affirmative action or celebrate another "first time" accomplishment made by a minority.