AFSC commander shares Presidents Day message

  • Published
  • By Lt Gen Gene Kirkland
  • Air Force Sustainment Center Commander

To celebrate the leadership of our first president, the 1885 Congress made George Washington’s birthday a national holiday. Today, we know it better as Presidents Day, always the third Monday in February, situated between the birthdays of Presidents Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.

Both Washington and Lincoln led our country with vision and tenacity during times of great strife - one man determined to maintain a new country’s independence, the other striving to keep it unified more than 70 years later. Each withstood the harshness of war and dissenting opinions, but did not waver in their convictions. Because of their vision and actions, today we call ourselves citizens of the United States of America, where we may enjoy more freedom than anywhere else on Earth.

As we celebrate Presidents Day, I invite you consider the foundational principles that guided our nation’s leaders. Their wisdom is readily applied in our own journeys, and across every aspect of the Air Force AFSC mission.  Open-mindedness, concern for others, and respect toward all are common attributes of these great presidents. As Airmen, we may carry their leadership convictions forward through our Core Values and supporting each other as Wingmen.