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Fourth of July

  • Published
  • By General Paul V. Hester
  • Commander, Pacific Air Forces
HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii --  The FOURTH of JULY...even saying it out loud makes me feel good and smile! The Middle of the Summer...baseball....hotdogs...ice cream...maybe a Parade or a round of Golf...BUT always ending with FIREWORKS! Yes, the Misawa Airmen will remind me of the sea fog and fireworks sometimes pushed off to Labor Day...but you'll be thinking of FIREWORKS!

Through the laughter with friends and family, you'll peer into the distance at some point--the proverbial 1000 yard stare--and think about WHY you are in uniform...you will think about those in Harm's Way that very moment so that you can enjoy the hot dog you are holding...you will think about sacrifice and wonder if ours could ever approach the sacrifice and commitment of 1776...and you will in the twinkling of an eye, that is now moist from those thoughts, reach over and hug your family or grab the Fellow Airman next to you and say THANK YOU for your service...I am PROUD to serve with you.

Our Nation is Rich...rich in all things that make us think of wealth...But it is a mere Grain of Sand to the overflowing richness of its Citizens who VOLUNTEER to "support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic!" Those VOLUNTEERS are YOU...America's AIRMEN!

THANK YOU for your service...I am PROUD to serve with YOU! Paul Hester, Airman, U. S. Air Force