From the Top: Reserve Citizen Airmen Accomplishing Amazing Things

  • Published
  • By Lt. Gen. Maryanne Miller
  • Commander, Air Force Reserve Command
Citizen Airman/Dec. 2017 --  I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving, spending time with family and giving thanks. Command Chief Master Sgt. Ericka Kelly and I took the time to look back on what a remarkable year it has been for the Air Force Reserve and all the amazing people and places we have had the opportunity to visit.

As we continue to travel throughout the country, your professionalism, innovation and resilience inspire us as we work together to preserve, build and shape the Air Force Reserve of the future.

It has been a privilege to interact at each duty station and hear from hundreds of Reserve Citizen Airmen and their incredible families.

From visits to the 482nd Fighter Wing at Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida, to the 910th Airlift Wing, Youngstown Air Reserve Base, Ohio, and, most recently, to the 315th Airlift Wing, Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, the theme is always the same: amazing Airmen working together accomplishing amazing things.

We are grateful for the feedback we have received as we continue to align ourselves with the Air Force priorities, primarily focusing our efforts on restoring readiness.

We continue to be in absolute awe of the work every one of you accomplishes on a daily basis. As I have stated time and again, we consider it an honor to serve side by side with such a tremendous group of Reserve Citizen Airmen.

Chief Kelly and I wish to extend our thanks to you and your outstanding family support networks, who encourage and continuously provide a stable foundation for our military members — making sure they are ready to accomplish the mission when called upon.

We thank you for ensuring the mission continues to be accomplished, and we understand in today’s fiscally constrained environment the challenge now is greater than it historically has been.

Yet, each day you continue to answer the call. We wish to send a special thank you to your families for their continuous support and the multiple sacrifices each and every one of them is making.

The chief and I understand the importance of family and how precious time with family is, and we are forever grateful for you sharing your time to ensure the mission continues to get accomplished. It is the greatest contribution you can make to our Air Force Reserve.

In addition to our multiple base visits this past year, Chief Kelly and I also had the honor of attending our very first Yellow Ribbon event in Baltimore. We had the privilege of welcoming approximately 500 attendees, of which half were dependents or the support network for military members who had recently returned from a deployment. We were in absolute awe of the stories of resilience and perseverance across the Air Force Reserve.

Deployments are never easy, but having the opportunity to interact and meet the many friends and family members of our Reservists helped us understand how remarkable each and every one of your family support networks are to you.

Being able to sit down and explore the mental, physical, social and spiritual balance as it related to military members and their loved ones was an amazing experience and solidified the value that the Yellow Ribbon Program provides our military families.

Air Force Reserve families are critical to mission success. Achieving the proper balance between work and home life is essential to ensuring our military members achieve mission readiness and are prepared to answer our nation’s call.

As we enter the heart of the holiday season, Chief Kelly and I wish you all the best. Take time to enjoy these treasurable moments with friends and family.

Wherever your travels may take you this holiday season, please be safe. Each of you is vital to mission success. We need you and your loved ones recharged and balanced as we enter 2018.

It has been an amazing year, and I am more excited about the future of the Air Force Reserve than I have ever been in my 36-year career. While optimism does not come without reservations, I stand assured each of you will help lead the way in 2018 and beyond. Our adversaries will not rest. Each of us must continue to ensure we are doing our part and maintaining our military readiness.

Chief Kelly and I stand side by side with each and every one of you. We have learned so much from our installation visits and look forward to future trips in the coming year. We are impressed with the work ethic and professional knowledge of every Airman we have had the opportunity to meet.

Continue to be the best Airmen this country puts forward. Chief and I thank you for your dedication to service and the sacrifices you and your families make every day. Happy holidays!