Recognizing Airmen's efforts

  • Published
  • By Col. Steve Arquiette
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing commander
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Accolades come from many different sources including our superiors, our peers, our families and even complete strangers. Each of us reacts to recognition differently. Some of us are embarrassed and humbled by the honor--others crave it, are motivated by it and gain self-esteem from it. Whichever emotions swell when recognition is bestowed upon you, pride should always be one.

We spent the last couple of months recognizing Airmen's efforts during 2006, culminating with last Friday's Annual Awards Banquet. Supervisors recognized many shining stars by submitting award packages, boards had the difficult task of picking the best of the best, and commanders had the honor of recognizing these individuals as winners.

A very unique recognition event will occur within the Maintenance Community tonight at 6 p.m. with their annual KnuckleBuster Banquet. The 60th and 349th Maintenance Groups will honor the stand-outs in each squadron and group for their hard work and dedication throughout 2006, as chosen by their peers, rather than their supervisors. It is a great honor to be selected by your peers--those who work beside you and who know you best. I know how busy you are and how important are your contribution to the success of our mission. As a former maintainer myself, I want to extend my personal gratitude for those recognized tonight. It is an honor to have you on the team.

In about 10 days, we will have another opportunity to recognize a special part of Team Travis...the spouses of our deployed Airmen. It is difficult enough striking a balance in our busy lives, but it is even harder when a spouse is deployed. I recognize the hard work and adjustments it takes holding down the fort in the absence of a spouse. On March 20 at 5:30 p.m., we will hold the quarterly Deployed Spouses Dinner at the Travis Community Center. I encourage all of the spouses of our deployed Airmen to attend this event as we'll have a great meal and loads of helpful information for you from our on-base agencies, as well as those located throughout Solano County. We owe you a big Thank You for all that you do, and we want you to know that there are many of us who like to help ease your busy days while your spouse is deployed.

We are all recognized as important members of this community and country. Simply by proudly donning our uniform and stepping out into the community, we are recognized and honored for what we do and the people we are. Countless times I have been approached, much like I imagine you have, by members of the community thanking us for our service. What you do and the examples you set are noticed simply because of the uniform you wear. People recognize our sacrifices and appreciate our contributions to this country. Please keep this at the forefront of your minds as you continue to magnificently serve our Nation during this time of war. 

BE PROUD! BE SAFE!