Thanksgiving praise for all Team Travis members

  • Published
  • By Maj. Sandy Richardson
  • 60th Equipment Maintenance Squadron commander
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  In 1789, George Washington signed a proclamation for "a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God."

He goes on to write that the Thanksgiving Day should "be devoted by the people of these States, to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be."

I am most grateful for our nation, military, friends and family and the valuable service that we bring to the world.

It is wonderful to live in this glorious, prosperous nation. While some nations are engaged in civil wars, our country settles our differences through voting.

Americans also accept that our voting process is objective and majority of the population rules.

Additionally, our nation is the melting pot of all races and religions and we respect difference of opinions.

Prosperity spurns the hope that through hard work and luck each individual can achieve more.

And it is this prosperity that also ensures that the military has adequate funding to operate.

The military is an excellent and well-respected organization.

I am amazed of the technological advancements of the unmanned aerial vehicle and accomplishments that can be achieved when all the services work as a joint team.
Travis plays a vital part of the worldwide military mission through a number of diverse missions.

The 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force opens and secures the airfield. The C-5s and C-17s deliver and sustain the warriors and their goods wherever they are needed.

The KC-10s deliver cargo and refuel fighter and support aircraft, increasing the lethality of the Air Force.

Support personnel are the vital link ensuring all the warfighter's needs are fulfilled and Team Travis operates seamlessly with active duty, Reservists and civilians.

Finally, the military is strong today because we are preceded by professionals called veterans who are also staunch advocates to ensure that the community supports today's warriors.

Lastly, family and friends are the source of love and inspiration. Each of us are faced with challenges, sometimes they seem completely overwhelming.

It is during these times that family and true friends provide inspiration.

This inspiration may come in the form of a solution, assurance that the issue is temporary or knowing that someone will be there.

President Washington's vision of Thanksgiving concluded with a request for Americans to "unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions."

As it was then, it is still true today that we are prone to make mistakes and require humility to present an apology for wrongs committed to other nations, to our families and to our friends.