BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AFPN) -- Air Force senior leaders praised the dedication and sacrifice of airmen here during a visit Dec. 19.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray were welcomed to Afghanistan by 455th Expeditionary Operations Group airmen who are supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. The visit was one of many stops the leaders made to visit deployed airmen in the days leading up to the holiday season.

As local commanders escorted the two leaders on a tour of Air Force village, scores of airmen waited along the way for the opportunity to meet the general and chief. The airmen were eager to show off their accomplishments in village improvements, quality-of-life initiatives and mission readiness.

“I was pleased that all of our airmen were excited that General Jumper and Chief Murray (traveled) halfway around the world during the Christmas holiday to come see them,” said Col. D. Lee Hall. Hall is the 455th EOG commander and is deployed from Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

Hall said it was a pleasure having the two Air Force leaders visit.

“We are very proud of our mission and what we do here, and I think that pride was evident to the general and chief,” said the colonel.

During the whirlwind tour, Jumper and Murray walked throughout the village to see new B-huts that are replacing aging tents, the fitness center, the town hall, security initiatives, control tower renovations and other improvements. Along the way, they stopped to talk with airmen.

After the village tour, Jumper and Murray traveled to the flightline where they were greeted like celebrities as hundreds of airmen gathered around to hear what they had to say, ask questions and take pictures.

“I’m proud of all of you for your dedication and the incredible things you are doing,” Jumper said. “During this time of year especially, the sacrifices you and your families make to stand up for what you believe in doesn’t go unnoticed.

“We’re here to hunt bad guys, and we’re going to find them. We found Saddam Hussein, and we’re going to find Osama bin Laden. It’s the things you are doing that will make that happen,” he said.

Enlisted airmen and officers alike said they were equally proud to see the Air Force’s senior enlisted representative. With cameras flashing, Murray talked of the dedication and professionalism of the airmen who are spending their holiday in harm’s way to secure freedom and security for those at home.

“You’re here to bring the fight to those who would threaten everything precious to us,” he said. “Our choices are simple: either we bring the fight to them, or wait for them to bring the fight home to us.”

The leaders praised the progress that has been made at making Bagram the most important base of operations in the war on terrorism.

“Only American military members could take such a dilapidated, bombed-out facility and build it into a base of operations that can reach throughout the region and deny sanctuary to the enemy,” Murray said. “In just two years, a crumbling airfield and control tower building has been turned into a base where people live and work in conditions that ease the burden of long duty-days and the separation from loved ones.”

Jumper and Murray stayed to visit with Bagram warriors until everyone had an opportunity to speak with them before they headed back to a waiting C-17 Globemaster III, and on to their next stop to see deployed airmen serving during this holiday season.

“I learned a lot from the chief and general,” said Senior Airman Missy Mantegna, a 455th EOG personnel specialist deployed from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. “They talked to us about our role in deployments since [Operation] Desert Storm, about how surge operations and steady-state operations work, and their focus the (air and space expeditionary force) rotation cycle. It shows that they care about the same things we do when it comes to deployments.

“I love my job because I get to work with people, and it was apparent that (the general and chief) feel the same way,” she said.