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Team Scott – Leading the Way for Others to Follow

  • Published
  • By Col. Kyle Kremer
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing commander
Scott Air Force Base, Ill. --  Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday season and were able to take a break from the rigorous pace to spend some quality time with family and friends.  It is hard to believe that we are now in 2015, the year Marty McFly went "Back to the Future" in the second film of the series.  I haven't seen any "hoverboards" around base yet, but then the year has only just begun!

I want to thank all of Team Scott...active duty, Reserve, Guard, civilians, contractors, family members and retirees...for your incredible support and teamwork as we collectively enable rapid global mobility for our national defense.  Together, we have overcome every challenge thrown our way to answer our Nation's call.  Successfully executing the responsible drawdown in Afghanistan, while continuing our training mission and transition to Afghan led operations, was a Herculean feat in itself.  Doing so while stepping up operations in Iraq to combat the expansion of the Islamic State in Syria and the Levant was nothing short of miraculous. 

All the while you continued to build and secure a robust cyber communications network infrastructure, support senior leader transportation, ensure uninterrupted supply chain operations worldwide, deploy to places in need around the globe, and care for our service members and their families back home.  You continue to be a living model of the Air Force core values...Integrity First, Service Before Self and Excellence in All We Do. 

Our senior leaders and fellow service members know that they can count on Team Scott to not only do things right, but also be the first to volunteer and to do it better than anyone else!  It is no surprise that when it comes time to evaluate where to spend precious and diminishing resources to expand or consolidate mission sets and organizations, they immediately look to Scott AFB. 

The capability and support you offer is world class, and not one organization on this base stands alone.  The partnership and teamwork between disparate organizations representing all services, a combatant command, five major commands, a numbered Air Force, an air and space operations center, four wings and a Department of Defense direct reporting unit is unequaled.  That is a testament to YOU! 

Relationships between organizations are built by people, not PowerPoint.  It is because of your great ingenuity, effort and attitude that we are successful.  It is also the reason Scott AFB was awarded $100,000 to support quality of life programs on base as the Air Mobility Command runner -up for the Commander-in-Chief's  Installation Excellence Award nomination.  That is not an organizational award, but rather an installation award...and you all deserve the recognition.  It was won by you and we want your input on how to spend that $100,000.  We have already begun collecting your suggestions and will continue to do so through the end of the month (submit to:  375amw.cag@us.af.mil). 

I am thrilled to see that the Air Force Times recognized Scott AFB as the top Air Force base to be stationed in the United States this past year.  It appropriately highlights the fantastic support we receive from the local community.  Their generous programs, resources, infrastructure and patriotic spirit are unequaled.  This noteworthy distinction also validates what a great job you do to make Scott AFB such a great place to live and work.

I never cease to be amazed at the ingenuity, collaboration and positive attitude of the men and women of Team Scott.  As we go forward into 2015 we need to continue this momentum and look for even more ways to partner and work together.  You have already proven one theorem from Doc Brown in Back to the Future..."Roads?  Where we are going, we don't need roads."  Who knows, maybe you will create our own "flux capacitor"...just don't try to get up to 88 miles per hour on base!