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| News > Commentary - What 'MSG' Means to Me |
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Col. John S. Oliver, commander, 65th Mission Support Group
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What 'MSG' Means to Me
Posted 9/19/2012 Updated 9/20/2012
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Commentary by Col. John S. Oliver
65th Mission Support Group commander
9/19/2012 - LAJES FIELD, Azores -- When you hear MSG, what comes to mind? Sports enthusiasts will probably answer Madison Square Garden where the New York Knicks play basketball. If you love Chinese food then you'll likely respond with Monosodium glutamate which is a flavor enhancer commonly added to Chinese food. When I think of MSG, I think of Models, Servants and Goal achievers.
I've had the honor to serve as the wing's MSG since this June and I quickly noticed that there's something special about Lajes and our Airmen. As our Wing Commander, Col Bargery has said, it's almost magical. When I tried to capture what has driven the wing and the MSG to its success, three things came to mind: Modeling Excellence, Selflessly Serving, and Going for and Capturing Goals.
Models are usually those who set the example. We're told to follow them. Modeling excellence is at the heart of the Air Force mission and is one of our core values. One of the reasons for Lajes' success is that our Airmen relish the challenge of serving as the model of excellence for other wings throughout USAFE and across the Air Force. We've been the model of excellence for fitness standards, medical readiness, and morale, welfare and recreation programs, to just name a few. Our Airmen have modeled excellence so well, that they were recently recognized at the Air Force level with the Outstanding Unit Award. Modeling excellence is a form of service that requires hard work, discipline and dedication. When I think of "M", I think of Lajes Airmen who model excellence.
Lajes' Airmen enjoy serving. This might be the key to the wing's recent overwhelming success. Selfless service is another Air Force core value and is simply putting less into self and more into others. At Lajes this comes in many forms. It includes faithful weekend attendance to the AMC terminal to greet new arrivals and wish Godspeed to our departing members; serving as coaches and mentors for our youth; volunteering for chapel programs; providing time and resources to local orphanages and charities; or serving as EUCOM's top contributor in CFC donations. Service comes at a cost. Members of Team Lajes have invested hundreds of hours in service to help others move a little closer towards achieving their goals. When I think of "S", I think of Lajes Airmen who selflessly serve.
A quick internet search on the word goals turns up close to 200 million references. That's a lot! The simplest and most basic definition of a goal is what we strive to achieve. Success comes through reaching our goals. Lajes Airmen have gone for and captured their goals over the past few years. The list of attained goals totals close to the aforementioned internet results - well, not quite - but, the list is impressive and too large to detail here. Lajes Airmen have accepted the challenge of being in the fight; have challenged themselves to be better and have met these challenges at every turn. When I think of "G", I think of Airmen who have gone for and who have captured their goals.
The next time you're in New York or at an oriental restaurant, it's okay to associate MSG with basketball or a headache-inducing addictive flavoring. But, for those of us who live and serve here at Lajes, I hope the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear MSG is the Airmen who are models of excellence, selfless servants and goal achievers.
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