Hurlburt Field: Installation excellence every day

  • Published
  • By Col. Mark Johnson
  • 1st Special Operations Mission Support Group commander
This week, Team Hurlburt had the opportunity to host Brig. Gen. Anita Gallentine and the Air Force Installation Excellence Selection Board as they evaluated Hurlburt Field as one of two finalists in the commander in chief's Installation Excellence Award competition. The IEA was established in 1984 to recognize the outstanding efforts of the people who operate and maintain Department of Defense installations and who have demonstrated ingenuity and creativity in managing limited resources to support the mission.

First, I want to say thank you to the Hurlburt community for the tremendous effort in preparing the base for this visit. From facility clean ups, to briefing preparations, to practicing for unit visits, the men and women of Team Hurlburt demonstrated pride and professionalism that I'm certain had positive impact on our visitors.

Second, I want to comment briefly on what was reconfirmed in my mind these past few weeks as we have prepared for this evaluation. Hurlburt Field is home to a great mission and great facilities, and while we would always like to have more, we are fortunate that we are resourced adequately to do our jobs.

What sets Hurlburt apart is attitude. It's the professionalism and "can do" mentality that makes this a great place to work and live, and it is that attitude that ensures the mission gets done. It doesn't matter what the task, from flying our newest aircraft, to ensuring network security, to fixing a broken sewer line, the Hurlburt team gets it done right.

This is a great team, and when we commit toward achieving a common goal, we can do great things. You demonstrated that to the Installation Excellence Selection Board this week and you demonstrate it each day as you do your part to support the mission. It doesn't matter what your job is, what matters is that you do it right. You never know when you and the job you are doing is going to be in the spotlight. The Installation Excellence Award and the evaluation we received this week focused much of the attention on aspects of the base that often times go unseen and it is a tribute to all of you with a "behind the scenes" mission that Hurlburt Field had the opportunity to be considered for this award.

My thanks to all of you for your support of the Installation Excellence visit, but most of all, thank you for solidifying in my mind that from the perimeter fence to the flight line, the Air Commando spirit is alive and well! Great job team!