Photo By Andria Allmond | Col. Bill Griffin, 111th Attack Wing commander, takes a moment for a quick photo Feb....... read more read more
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Col. Bill Griffin
111th Attack Wing commander
HORSHAM AIR GUARD STATION, Pa. -- At the end of last year, I was given the awesome opportunity to take command of the finest Wing in the Air National Guard – the 111th Attack Wing. During December’s regularly scheduled drill, I stood before my family, friends and Wingmen and received the Wing guidon from a true friend of 25 years, Col. Chip Eissler. I’ve watched dozens of our Wingmen stand before similar audiences in similar events as they’ve taken on added responsibilities, accepted new assignments and wrapped up hugely successful careers. What has struck me over two and a half decades of watching these events is the common theme running through nearly every one of those speeches, which is this: There is a great respect and appreciation for the people who make up the 111th ATKW.
This means, we’ve been through the good, the bad and the ugly together. We’ve shared laughter, blood, sweat and tears. Yet through it all, we’ve not only conquered obstacles, but forged pathways and strengthened the profession of arms – all while maintaining the friendship and esprit de corps that is correlated with the Guard.
It is my high honor and tremendous responsibility to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you as the commander or our Wing. While it is important to know and celebrate our history, it is equally important to know our way forward. It is my responsibility to empower our members to be positive, productive Air National Guardsmen in our communities, commonwealth and country.
To keep it simple, here are two attributes that we must uphold in to be a ready, resilient Wing: Trust and Loyalty.
Trust. As I said during the change of command, know that you have my trust – trust to do things right, and give an honest effort every day. In turn, I believe I have your trust and I’ll work every day to keep it. Trust is a precious commodity and when broken is often irrepairable.
Loyalty. It is imperative that we be loyal to ourselves and take care of ourselves. Of course, you can see that as both a family and a military unit, we must commit that loyalty to each other and the mission. Like trust, each day I offer my loyalty to you, to the mission and to our local community.
There are three components I want to specifically address that I feel are the backbone of the 111th ATKW. To each, I offer a challenge, an understanding and an appreciation.
To our Airmen, follow our vision of being the most effective Wing in the Air National Guard by being the most effective Airman through complete readiness and total resilience. Col. Eissler [sic] stated it well when he boiled it down to simply, “know the rules, do your job and take care of each other.” This applies up and down the chain, from our student flight members to our commanders. Equally important is our ability to keep our priorities in check. Each of us needs to keep family first, civilian job second and Guard career third.
To Horsham, Warrington, Warminster Townships and nearby communities, please know the men and women of the 111th Attack Wing value our partnerships. We will continue to take seriously our role as stewards of the community. As Guardsmen, we live in these communities and many more around the country. We coach our little league, pop warner, and other youth sports teams. We share a vested interest in the environment, infrastructure and policies that are mutually beneficial. Please use our public website and social media platforms to contact us with questions, concerns or just to see what is going on at the base. Or better yet, call our public affairs office at, 215-323-7177.
To military retirees, please know the Horsham Air Guard Station has an office solely committed to serving you and your dependents regardless of your branch of service. Located in our Wing headquarters building, with volunteers led by retired Chief Master Sgt. Jenny Pappas, the Retiree Activities Office, RAO, fields questions and concerns covering a broad array of topics designed specifically to help all retirees. Please reach out to this amazing team to volunteer, or to get assistance at, 215-323-7135.
As a final note, I want to thank all of you for your service. We’ll face challenges, defeats and victories over the next year; but we will always give it our best. If we commit our actions with trust and loyalty we can remain both ready and resilient.
| Date Taken: | 02.07.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 02.07.2018 16:33 |
| Story ID: | 265142 |
| Location: | HORSHAM, PA, US |
| Web Views: | 237 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Commander’s Commentary for 2018: Trust and loyalty will preserve a ready, resilient force, by Andria Allmond, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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