JOINT BASE ANACOSTIA-BOLLING, WASHINGTON, –
Members of the 11th Operations Group here provided a special tour August 16 for the Air Force's highest-ranking enlisted member to take a candid look at what these high-visibility Airmen do on a day-to-day basis.
Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Roy spoke with members of The United States Air Force Band, The United States Air Force Honor Guard and the Air Force Chaplaincy at Arlington National Cemetery, and saw first-hand how these units and their special mission work to build partnerships with the international community.
"What an impressive organization," Roy said, referring to the 11th OG. "The way we do things today is within a joint, coalition team, and the fact that we have this organization here that works with our joint partners every single day within the National Capital Region and abroad, says an awful lot about the organization."
Roy stressed the importance of fostering good working relationships with other nations.
"The more we work with partner nations and joint partners, the more we learn about ourselves and how we can do other things more efficiently," he said.
The 11th OG also supports the Air Force's most valuable asset: Airmen.
From funeral services provided by the United States Air Force Honor Guard for those service members that gave the ultimate sacrifice to the morale-boosting performances by the many band combinations within the United States Air Force Band, the 11th OG supports service members and their families all over the globe, both in life and in death.
"A lot of times, we think of the military members as the person that's out there doing the mission every day," Roy said. "But, sometimes we forget about the family members that are there holding the family together, holding the unit together in a lot of cases."
Roy said the 11th OG mission to be the ambassadors of the Air Force to the entire world is one of utmost importance.
"Thank you so much for what you do each and every day, representing the Air Force and representing the United States as a nation," he said. "It is an absolute honor to serve along side each and every one of them, just as much as it is to serve with Secretary (of the Air Force Michael) Donely and (Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. Norton) Schwartz.