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NEWS | Dec. 20, 2007

Commander sends holiday thoughts, wishes to Andrews

By Col. Paul Ackerley 316th Wing commander

Dianna and I wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season. Hopefully all of you will have the opportunity to spend quality time with family and friends over the next couple of weeks. 

This time of year we have the opportunity to reflect on the successes and blessings we experienced during 2007. For those of us in uniform our personal and Service families often become blended within our hearts. Many of us experience similar happiness and satisfaction from the success and advancement of an Airman or Sailor as we do from our own children doing well in school. 

We experience joy when a child returns home for the holidays and with the same thankful heart report to the squadron at 4 a.m. to greet those returning safely from a combat deployment. 

This time of year we plan special gifts for our children, spouses, moms and dads and also find time to bake cookies for our Airmen and Sailors in the dorms and host Combat Care events to comfort the spouses and children of our deployed service men and women. 

Those of us who defend our nation develop a unique and special family bond. A bond formed in peace and forged and strengthened during combat. 

It is this bond that ensures that each of us will have a friend to turn to during this holiday season, even if those closest to us are thousands of miles away. 

To Team Andrews, I wish each of you happiness and joy this holiday season and thank you for what you do each day for Andrews Air Force Base and in defense of our nation.