General briefs Air Force mission to Houston group

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  • By Staff Sgt. Jeremy Larlee
  • Air Force Print News
Houston (AFPN) --  Ken Scott and other members of the Houston Forum were briefed about the Air Force Mission by General Paul V. Hester, Pacific Air Forces commander, Dec. 7 here at a JW Marriott hotel auditorium.

Mr. Scott owns a public relations and communications company in Houston and he knows how hard public speaking can be from personal experience. He said he was impressed by how articulate and organized General Hester was during his speech and how he fit a large amount of information into a short period of time.

"It was very informative," Mr. Scott said. "He gave us some insight that you ordinarily don't see or hear as the average tax payer."

General Hester's speech to the Houston Forum was part of the "Air Force Road show," a strategic outreach program that is designed to educate the public about the military. The forum is an organization that provides a community platform for distinguished speakers in the nation's fourth largest city.

General Hester spent some time, talking about the 65th Anniversary of the Pearl Harbor Attack at the beginning of his briefing. Mr. Scott said it was his favorite part of the briefing and he found some of the connections the general made between the World War II era and current times especially interesting.

A major common theme between the two eras was the sacrifices made by military, said General Hester and it was something he keeps in mind at all times, even while enjoying his time in Houston.

"It is tranquil to be here, but those in harm's way are not facing tranquility," he said. "All I ask is to keep them in your thoughts and prayers everyday."

He also spent time talking about the challenges of the War on Terror and the militaries challenge to give other countries the freedoms that Americans enjoy every day.

"Like the Cold War we are in fact in a war of intense ideas," General Hester said. "The ideas that we believe in so strongly here in the United States; democracy, freedom and personal liberties. We are a society that respects, not only the individual chance to make choices, but respects the choices themselves."

Mr. Scott said that Houston is a town that takes pride in the military and especially during the holiday season the sacrifice made by military people comes to the forefront.
"I believe regardless of what someone's politics are," he said. "Everybody in this area is very supportive of the military and proud of what they are able to accomplish. During this time of year especially, they are always in our thoughts."

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