MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- With rumors spreading like wildfire on the heels of the force restructuring announcement, Command Chief Master Sgt. Owen Duke didn't mince words at the recent 908th Airlift Wing Enlisted Call.
"The rumor running around is we're closing," he said. "This is what the plan is. Just because it says it does not make it so. The AFRC statement says that at Maxwell, there will be a retirement of seven aircraft by 2014. The unit remains operational."
Moving amongst the Airmen, Duke described how several years ago, a plan came out to move all the computers away from Gunter, but all the folks in and around Montgomery, the surrounding counties and folks around the state, including members of Congress, presented such an outcry that it was halted.
He emphasized how those same folks support the 908th Airlift Wing, and emphasized how the upcoming inspection could affect any forthcoming decisions.
"Right now," he said, "we have no specific mission. We can affect that through the CI. It is incumbent upon every member of the 908th to check, re-check and check one more time to make sure when those inspectors come in here and the paperwork is posted on the internet, they look and go, 'Maxwell. Wow!'"
Other aspects of performance will impact the future of the wing, and Duke stressed the need to do better in all facets of service, such as the "Fit to Fight" program.
"(Out of 1,200-plus members), 400 excellent, 400 satisfactory and unsatisfactory for the rest won't do. The intent of Fit to Fight is to help Airmen initiate a healthy lifestyle change. Remaining fit can help you live longer, and remaining fit benefits you and your family by allowing a higher quality of life."
Duke also addressed the importance of living by core values and improving the chances for career growth by making sure records are correct.
"We will always do the right thing, we will always tell the truth," he said. "If you do that, you do not have to have a good memory. The truth does not change.
"Second, service before self. We serve something bigger than the individual. Third, excellence. We will always do our very best.
"And fourth, you must be loyal to something, and while you are wearing this uniform, you're expected to be loyal, and nothing else will be accepted."
The chief then turned his focus to the family, telling everyone to thank their families when they returned home. He pointed out that it's the families that make this country great.
"It is not us," he said. "We get the easy part because we get the training, your parents, wives, husbands, your kids, family and friends don't receive that training. They have the same stressors we have."
Duke also brought the attention of all to the plight of two wing members who recently suffered great losses in separate natural disasters; one in a fire, the other in a tornado. In a collection taken by first sergeants, approximately $1,800 was donated, with one wingman writing a check for $600.
"We are family and we take care of our own," Duke said.