AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar -- Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Kaleth O. Wright completed their battlefield rotation of U.S. Air Forces Central Command today.
Both leaders spent the holidays visiting deployed service members across the Central Command area of responsibility, recognizing outstanding Airmen and sharing their thanks for service members’ sacrifice.
“It’s special for us to be able to come out here and thank you face-to-face and we couldn’t be prouder to serve with you,” said Wright. “We know it’s tough being deployed during the holidays so when you get a chance to talk to your loved ones, please pass along our thanks to them.”
Goldfein and Wright spent about a week traveling across CENTCOM’s 20-nation AOR with AFCENT commander Lt. Gen. Joseph T. Guastella, visiting service members supporting Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, Operation Freedom’s Sentinel and NATO’s Resolute Support Mission among other efforts. Along with thanking service members, Goldfein and Wright also listened to Airmen’s questions and concerns.
“You own this Air Force and you have to treat it like that every day,” said Wright. “When you feel like you own it, you’re more apt to make the right decisions to provide us the feedback we need to get after the things that are in our span of control.”
“If we don’t get out and listen, we get disconnected from the service,” said Goldfein. “This is our opportunity to have you speak truth to power, for us to ‘squint with our ears’ and really listen to you.”
Goldfein and Wright fielded questions at multiple locations throughout the AOR during various “all calls.” As well, the leaders shared potential future changes within the service as well as insight about just how special a deployed service member’s time is while away from home.
“This is the time of your life where you are most alive,” said Goldfein. “When you go to the mall and see the veterans or retirees sitting down together, they are talking about their time when they were most alive. They are talking about a time where the people to their left and right were the absolute most incredible service members they ever worked with; when they were part of something really special and they made a difference. This is that time for us, where we are making a difference and doing something that’s much bigger than ourselves.”
That difference and ‘something bigger’ is what AFCENT service members contribute to the command’s mission to deliver decisive air and space power on behalf of CENTCOM for the security and stability of the region, alongside international, joint, and interagency partners. Goldfein highlighted the importance each Airman plays in this job, not only for AFCENT but for the Air Force and the United States.
“Your families are waking up at home, celebrating the holidays with all their family traditions. They’re also thinking about a lot of things like you, relatives, the roads, church, school and all those things that make up America,” said Goldfein. “But what they’re not thinking about right now is being attacked in their hometown. That’s not because there aren’t those out there who want to do just that. America sleeps pretty well at night because we don’t. Never underestimate the importance of your service in uniform, at this time, when our nation needs us most.”