Myers praises 64th AEW during visit

  • Published
  • By 2nd Gerardo Gonzalez
  • 64th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM (AFPN) --  America’s top general stopped briefly at a forward-deployed location May 11 to thank the people of the 64th Air Expeditionary Wing for their contributions to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addressed a crowd of active-duty, Guard and Reserve airmen, and soldiers and coalition troops who will soon depart as 64th AEW operations come to an end.

The general praised the wing for its accomplishments. He also gave a glimpse of upcoming challenges and the possible impact of the operation.

“We really appreciate what you did and the sacrifices that you made,” Myers said. “So, really what I’m here to say is thank you, and I’m just proud to be on the same team.”

Some airmen were in awe by the level of praise.

“It’s awesome to see somebody with that much rank take time to come down and see the working ants,” said Airman 1st Class Jacob Nix, a C-130 crew chief with the 64th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. “It’s a great feeling.”

However, the hard work is not over yet, according to the chairman.

“We’ve got a lot more to do,” Myers said. “The war on terrorism goes on. There’s never been a greater danger to our way of life than right now, and that hasn’t gone away just because of Operation Iraqi Freedom.”

Even the two-month mission in Iraq is far from over, the general cautioned.

“This is going to be a difficult and long effort,” Myers said. “What we have to understand is that we’re going to have to be patient. There’s a lot of infrastructure that needs to be built.”

As the operational tempo is likely to remain the same in the near future, Myers said he is looking to provide more stability for military members.

“What we’re going to try … (provide) some predictability in deployments,” the general said. “We’re going to try to get back to the flow where you know when you’re going to be gone … especially for the reserve component.”

The airmen of the 64th AEW can feel confident of their contributions to the Iraqi effort, said the general.

“This is the most important thing that’s happened for along time, certainly in my career,” Myers said. “I think you are going to see over the course of history that probably what you were personally involved in … might do more for peace and security in this region, possibly for the world, than you can ever imagine.”

With a fleet of C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, the 64th AEW flew a variety of missions during the operation including airlift, aeromedical evacuation, electronic combat and special operations.

“(I’m) glad to be part of this,” said Tech. Sgt. Roy Luke, a C-130 crew chief reservist from Georgia assigned to the 64th EAMXS. “You don’t have a chance to write history every day.”