Straight Talk: Another busy week

  • Published
  • By Col. Stacy L. Yike
  • 66th Air Base Group commander
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  It is going to be another busy week at Hanscom!

For starters, May 11 is Military Spouse Appreciation Day and I would like to personally thank all spouses of military members. I think there is a saying that when you marry the person, you marry the family. Well, when you fall in love with a servicemember, you step into a way of life that is much bigger than just the two of you. Thank you to all military spouses who support our families.

I would like to offer a special thank you to the Hanscom Spouses Club, as well. This group strives to offer a welcoming network for all Hanscom spouses. They also do an amazing job of supporting a scholarship fund and raising $41,000 to give to our Hanscom dependents this year alone. Thank you HSC!

And then, of course, Sunday is Mother's Day! Moms of military members share a special bond, as well, as they watch their children serve our nation, often in harm's way. Thank you to all our families out there who form the foundation of core values and give us reason to serve in the military and fight to protect the nation and the people we love.

Next week is Police Week where we recognize and honor our Security Forces team as well as the police forces in surrounding communities. In addition to the great work you see SFS performing on base, we currently have 17 deployed members protecting our forces around the world. Please join us for a Monday run along Battle Road or Thursday's golf tournament at Patriot Golf Course to show your support. We will keep our fingers crossed for a break in the rain!

We will conclude next week with an honor guard banquet on Saturday to recognize the tremendous efforts of our Patriot Honor Guard. Hanscom's honor guard serves a seven state region and performed final honors for 1,750 servicemembers last year alone. Their outstanding devotion and commitment to duty brings honor to the grieving families of our active duty members, retirees and veterans. I hope you can join us for the banquet. Tickets can be purchased from Staff Sgt. Carlos Carlo at 781-225-6558 by May 12.