Keep shining! Published March 18, 2009 By Col. Gary Goldstone 375th Airlift Wing commander SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- This week has been an incredibly busy one as we prepared for and hosted the 18th Air Force commander, and sent our folks out into the field to practice for a mobility exercise. During all of this activity one thing stood out - you! Whether it's an official visit by higher headquarters or our own team setting up tents and checking deployment folders, you stepped up to the challenge and proved that we really do enable combat power. One of the purposes of the visit by the 18th AF commander, Maj. Gen. Winfield W. Scott III, is for him to see first-hand the work we do to ensure he is able to meet and execute all air mobility missions. Part of his responsibility is to command all assigned forces, which include all 12 Air Mobility Command wings and groups and two expeditionary mobility task forces, as well as present these forces to combatant commanders through the U.S. Transportation Command. Our task was to show him how we focus on our DV and aeromedical airlift mission, how we provide superior support and services to Team Scott, as well as ensure we are sending forward combat-ready Airmen. We showcased our successes throughout the wing such as the medical facility renovation project, advances in our traumatic care for the wounded, total force integration of DV missions, improvements in quality of life initiatives throughout the base, and our stewardship over many critical communications facilities to name a few. While we highlighted our successes, part of our time with the commander included a discussion of challenges that we are or will be facing in the future such as the challenges associated with growth, manpower reductions, and training requirements for example. Even though we face challenges, you continue to show by example that we are willing and able to dig into the issues and find solutions. We are not a team that finds things too difficult to overcome, and that is an important attribute for mission success. Meanwhile, we practiced what it means to be combat-ready as our folks prepared for an exercise that required us to walk through the process of deploying to a forward location. This particular exercise ensures that each person is medically, physically, and emotionally ready to answer the nation's call. These exercises are important to ensure we provide combatant commanders with fully trained Airmen who understand, embrace and execute the joint expeditionary mindset and mission. It takes a tremendous amount of effort to pull off these events smoothly, so I thank all of you who provided briefings, information, demonstrations, set up tents, manned the deployment line and even arranged for our folks to eat "yummy" Meals Ready to Eat. Most importantly, I thank you for coming together and shining as a team during an incredibly full week, which is not over yet. Keep up the great work and keep shining!