MCENTIRE JOINT NATIONAL GUARD BASE, S.C. -- Hello fellow Swamp Foxes and for those of you recently returning from deployment we are happy to have the Swamp Fox team back together once again. In fact, it is the diversity and strength of the Swamp Fox team that will be the topic of my article this month. Throughout my Air Force career, I have been a part of multiple units both as active duty and as a member of the Air National Guard and from my personal experiences, the units which focused on diversity and inclusion were some of the most capable teams I have ever been a part of. A team in which every member felt that they had a voice with which to speak and an equal role to play in the accomplishments of the unit with which they belonged. After all, it is this belonging that drives each one of us to make the decision to volunteer to join the world’s greatest Air Force and become a part of something bigger.
Since I have joined the Swamp Fox team, I have felt the pride that comes along with wearing the Swamp Fox patch on my right arm as all of you do. It is this desire to serve and wear the patch that brings us all together regardless of our upbringing or where we might call home. But, in order to be successful in accomplishing the missions and goals that are set out before us, we must appreciate one another for these differences and include every one of our Swamp Fox teammates. By promoting our diversity, we ensure that we encompass the viewpoints and opinions of every Swamp Fox even if they differ from our own, and make the best decision for the entire team, after all teamwork makes the dream work! So get out there Swamp Foxes and take care of your fellow team mates! It is this team, the Swamp Fox team, that we can all be proud to be part of and take great pride in each and every time we place that patch on our right arm!