Holiday greetings from the base commander

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. David R. Dunklee
  • 66th Air Base Group Commander
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  With the holiday season upon us and a new year approaching, I want to take a moment to reflect on what has been both a challenging and rewarding year, and I want to thank you once again for the great work you do to support our warfighters.

The year has been full of accomplishments, with some of the most notable being our successful Unit Effectiveness Inspection and Compliance Observations and, of course, the very successful visits of high-level government and Air Force leaders, from Governor Baker to General Pawlikowski and Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James.

However, Team Hanscom also experienced significant losses this year with the deaths of two of our Airmen, Senior Airman Kcey E. Ruiz and Senior Airman Nathan C. Sartain. These tragic deaths hit us hard and reminded us of the costs of service in defense of our nation and our ideals. However, I'm proud of how everyone came together to support one another; you are all true wingmen. Please keep the families and friends of these Airmen in your thoughts and prayers this holiday season.

And for those of you who might be having a hard time this season, remember resources are available. A full listing of helping agencies is available on the Hanscom website.

Recognizing that many are in need and that so many people are less fortunate than us , our personnel thought of others throughout the year, supporting Habitat for Humanity, the Feds Feed Families food drive, the Combined Federal Campaign, the Pine Street Inn, and many more charitable endeavors. 

I know our service members deployed around the world are also on your minds, as you continually work to support them. However, please take a few extra minutes this year to think of those who are separated from their loved ones and to check in on the family members who remain behind.

The new year is around the corner and I'm sure new opportunities and challenges await us. Here at Hanscom we stand ready to meet them head-on. But before we all get back to the daily hustle and bustle, I encourage you to take some time to pause and enjoy the holiday season with friends and loved ones.

As you enjoy, keep safety in mind. This time of year can be hectic, so plan ahead and prepare for travel, wear your seat belt and don't drink and drive.

On behalf of our center commander, Lt. Gen. John Thompson, our program executive officers, Maj. Gen. Craig Olson and Senior Executive Service member Steve Wert, thank you for your hard work throughout this past year. All of us extend our best wishes to you and your families for the happiest of holidays and a wonderful New Year.