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General North Addresses Pacific Airmen

  • Published
  • By Gen. Gary North
  • Pacific Air Forces Commander
Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii --  Fellow Airmen, I am grateful to return to Pacific Air Forces and for the opportunity to once again serve alongside many friends, partners and allies in this vast and important region.

It has been my privilege to serve among America's finest Airmen throughout the region and alongside our counterparts in the Pacific Command area of responsibility. I have witnessed the incredible professionalism, dedication, discipline and courage of Pacific Air Forces Airmen warriors in four previous operational assignements in PACAF, during two senior joint staff tours, and certainly while deployed in support of ongoing combat operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan during the last three plus years. You have truly excelled at home and when deployed. I thank you and your families for your service and sacrifice to our great nation.

Now, more than ever, our nation relies on us to answer the call, wherever, whenever, and to do whatever is required, for however long it takes. You have my promise to work diligently for you to provide the leadership to meet our regional and national calls. Together, with our joint and international partners, we'll build upon relationships that underpin security and ensure military readiness along the full spectrum of operations. You also have my personal commitment to you and your families. I believe "mission first, people always" is more than a slogan, it's a leadership imperative.

Undeniably, Pacific Airmen perform magnificently. Our mission, vision and priorities are well understood by our friends, allies and partners, and respected by all. Our collective challenges include accomplishing our missions and taskings everyday and continuing to work smart and efficiently as a balancing and stabilizing force in a region that covers half the globe and includes 3.5 billion people.

I look forward to seeing you and your mission sets. Whether it's being prepared to fight tonight, training with our country partners, executing humanitarian missions or other unified taskings and deployments, your mission is critical to our many successes around our region and the world. It is my greatest honor to serve you and serve alongside each of you. Indeed, in our service, we are part of the greatest Air Force and Joint force in the world. You and your families have the respect and support of a grateful nation because you defend our American dream. I thank each of you for continuing to do your part as American Airmen...today, tomorrow and well into America's future.