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First Lady Brings Message of Gratitude to Eglin, Hurlburt Airmen

  • Published
  • By Buffy Galbraith
  • Air Force Special Operations Command public affairs
EGLIN AFB --  The 46th Maintenance Group's Blue Aircraft Maintenance Unit hangar on Eglin Air Force Base played host to First Lady Michelle Obama as she addressed more than 1000 Eglin and Hurlburt Field Airmen on Oct 15. Nearly 250 Air Force Special Operations Command Airmen and their families were in attendance to hear Mrs. Obama express her gratitude toward servicemembers and their families and to talk about the Year of the Air Force family. 

The Secretary and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force named July 2009 through July 2010 the "Year of the Air Force Family". This family-focused initiative will provide leadership at all levels a vehicle to communicate information and data to Airmen, family members, surrounding communities and Department of Defense audiences on the variety and scope of programs offered by the Air Force. The Year of the Air Force Family will be used to highlight the many successful programs already in place and to inform Airman and their families of the development of new programs, unveiling them throughout the year.
 
"As somebody who cares very much about military families, I was very pleased to hear that Air Force leaders designated this year as the Year of the Air Force Family," said Mrs. Obama. "I was even more pleased when Gen. Schwartz said the year would be devoted to highlighting what was working and also to what wasn't working." 

The First Lady, along with Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, said they have listened to family members, have gotten feedback and are currently working to ensure the voices of families are heard in Washington.
 
"Visiting with servicemembers and their families is truly one of the greatest things that I do," said Mrs. Obama. "It is my greatest privilege because I always come away from these visits with a renewed sense of pride and gratitude and a sense of awe." 

Mrs. Obama said that she was in awe of an Airman's continuous deployment schedule, which means missing birthdays, anniversaries and other moments with loved ones. 

"I can't remember a first lady taking the kind of family focus that she has taken," said Lt. Col. Michael Moore, AFSOC deputy command chaplain. "She is really taking seriously the stresses and strains of the military family and it is obvious she doesn't just talk; she listens." 

During her speech, the First Lady also talked about her admiration of the loved ones of Airmen. 

"I'm also in awe of the loved ones here, the people who have your back," she said. "I know that service doesn't end with the person wearing the uniform." 

The true sacrifices are the family's sacrifices, said Mrs. Obama. 

"I felt like she was speaking directly to me," said Airman 1st Class Kymberlee Nations, AFSOC operations controller. "She puts families first and it's the family behind the member, the one who's left behind, who keeps everything together." 

As a dual military family, Airman Nations said she knows firsthand the difficulties that come with service, and growing up in a military family had its challenges. 

"As a military brat, I remember what it was like to be without my dad," she said. "I know who kept things going and I felt like Mrs. Obama knows that too, and cares." 

The president's wife lauded Airmen for giving all, then giving more by recounting the hours of volunteerism that Eglin and Hurlburt servicemembers regularly perform, like a local youth program where half the volunteers come from the bases.
 
"I think it's pretty clear that our men and women in uniform and their families have more than done their duties to this nation and it now falls upon us as a grateful nation," she said. 

Mrs. Obama informed the crowd that gratitude will be reflected in the President's new fiscal year's budget. Pay raises, reduction of the stressors of long deployments, support for military spouses' career development, military housing improvements and financial assistance to families forced to sell a home during the housing crisis were specifically mentioned. 

"It's good to hear her reiterate what our Commander-in-Chief has to say about our military," said Master Sgt. Patrick Wint, AFSOC Area of Responsibility support manager. "Coming from our First Lady means more because she knows first-hand." 

It's that first-hand knowledge that Mrs. Obama spoke about when imploring Americans to show their support for men and women in uniform. 

"Let's never forget that when the troops go off to war, they are protecting every single one of us, and the freedoms that they fight for are ones that every single one of us as Americans enjoy," she said.
 
Mrs. Obama said she makes it her personal priority to ask all Americans to do their part to show their appreciation.
 
"The community that you're in right now is a shining example of how it should be done, from throwing barbeques and shrimp boils that I didn't get invited to," she quipped, "to a 13-year-old girl who started Hero's Hugs to remember deployed servicemembers. You all know how important it is to support our men and women in uniform and we thank you for that. 

"At the very least, each of us can do one simple thing and that is to take the time to say 'thank you' for the sacrifices you make," she said. 

Mrs. Obama said she is committed as First Lady to making sure that this county never forgets servicemembers and they especially never forget the families that stay behind to keep it together.