SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Cody met with Airmen from the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing here Feb. 1.
Welsh and Cody visited the 386 AEW and held an Airman's Call as part of a multi-base tour to meet with deployed Airmen within the Air Force Central Command area of responsibility.
During the Airman's Call, both personally thanked the aAirmen for the sacrifices they make every day.
"Let me start by saying thank you. This is the front end of our business and you guys are leading the charge, thank you for doing it," said Welsh. "This is important work and you know it and that's why you do it so well. I care about you and my job is to prove it to you."
Welsh and Cody addressed the importance of building lasting relationships with our airmen, host nation, and coalition partners.
"As we continue to evolve into what our Air Force will be in the future, I think we have to sometimes step back and think about how we are treating each other and the relationships we are building with each other and that foundation is built on respect," said Cody. "It's not about the rank and it's not about the positions, it's about the commitment that each and every one of us has made to serve together."
The predominant message that Welsh and Cody emphasized to the members of the 386th was taking care of our airmen and getting involved with your Air Force family.
"This is family business, it's family business to me, it's family business to the chief [of staff] and how we take care of each other is what's going to maintain the strength that we need to do what we are going to be asked to do around the world," said Cody.
"I'm a big believer that we recruit the best people possible in our Air Force and we train them better than anyone has ever trained them and no matter what happens in the future those two things cannot change," said Welsh. "The chief and I are both committed to that, because people plus that pride equals performance and you guys prove it here every single day. And the thing that we have to remember in our business is that performance is the bottom line."
Welsh also highlighted his vision for the Air Force and its focus on our airmen, mission and innovation.
"The world is changing, and we have to keep changing with it," said Welsh.
"We have to be very actively engaged and make sure that this force in the future is the one you want to live in."
The overall message that Welsh and Cody relayed was appreciation for what we are doing which gives us motivation to continue doing what we are doing, stated Airman 1st Class Briante Brown, 386th Communications Squadron, Client Systems Technician.
As part of their visit, Welsh and Cody were also given a first-hand look at the mission of the wing.