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on the first note of the national anthem, and our civilian guests should place their right hand over their heart. Also, please take a moment to silence all electronic devices. Thank you. Good afternoon. I am Master Sergeant Jody Saunders, and I will be your narrator for today's ceremony. On behalf of the men and women of the 340th Flying Training Group, welcome to the change of command ceremony, where we pay tribute to Colonel Anthony Straw as he relinquishes command, and honor Colonel James Morgan as he assumes leadership and command. The presiding official for today's ceremony is the commander of the 22nd Air Force, Major General Frank Bradfield III.
The change of command ceremony is rooted in military history, dating back to the 18th century during the reign of King Frederick the Great of Prussia. During this time, organizational flags were developed with color arrangements and symbols unique to each particular unit. When the change of command took place, the outgoing commander passed the unit flag to the individual assuming command. This gesture was accomplished in front of the unit so that all could see and witness their new leader assuming this dutiful position.
He who controlled the flag also controlled the soldiers and their allegiances. This symbolic tradition has survived throughout military history and will serve as one of the key events in this afternoon's military ceremony. During the change of command, the command flag is entrusted to the command chief of the 340th Flying Training Group, Chief Master Sergeant Jason Wagner, symbolizing the special trust and responsibility afforded to the command's enlisted force. Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the arrival of the official party and remain standing for ruffles and flourishes, the national anthem, and the invocation.
Standing by. Cut. Attention. Hut. Port arms. words, halt. Reverend Brittz Carpenter will now deliver the invocation. Father, we thank you for this moment where we get to celebrate the 340th Flying Training Group. As Colonel Anthony Straw transitions into retirement, we pray for your grace to be upon him. We pray for his family that they'd enjoy deep connection and make lots of memories together in this new season. And God, we thank you for his steady leadership these past years. And Father, as Colonel James Morgan takes the reins at this change of command, we pray for your grace and your favor to be upon him.
Give him wisdom and discernment as he leads the 340th. We pray for Sarah, Will, and Elise. Lord, let your grace and favor be upon them as well, for we know that family is of utmost importance. Give all four of them unity, lots of laughter and memories, and grace for one another in this new season of leadership for Colonel Morgan. And God, would you give him fresh charisma and insight as he leads the 340th? Lastly, we pray for the 340th at large. Thank you for their courage, their sacrifice, and their unwavering commitment to protecting the freedoms that we hold dear.
Lord, let your grace be palpable amongst every member. We pray this especially over the leadership of the 340th and the leadership of this great nation. Pray all of this in Jesus' mighty name. Amen. Thank you, Reverend Carpenter, for those inspirational words, and thank you to the honor guard. We are honored to have some special guests with us today. Please hold your applause until all are announced. Colonel Strow's family, his spouse Jessica and their sons Remington and Theodore. Attending virtually, his mother Julie and mother-in-law Mary.
Colonel Morgan's family, his spouse Sarah, their children Will and Elise, and his mother Bonnie. Attending virtually, his great aunt Joyce Klein. We also extend a warm welcome to the mobilization assistant to the director of operations, headquarters Air Combat Command, Colonel Kyle Goldstein and his spouse Carrie. The Reserve Advisor to the Commander, Air Education and Training Command, Colonel David Mitchell. The Reserve Advisor to the Commander, 19th Air Force, Colonel Phil Johnston.
The Deputy Commander, 12th Flying Training Wing, Colonel Jeffrey Cameron and his spouse Jessica. The Commander, 413th Flight Test Group, Colonel Christina Hopper. And the Command Chief, 22nd Air Force, Chief Master Sergeant Brian Gilsinian. Finally, we welcome all commanders, directors, chiefs, family and friends, and the men and women of the 340th Flying Training Group. Thank you for attending. Ladies and gentlemen, it is now my pleasure to introduce Major General Frank Bradfield.
All right, I'd like to extend a warm welcome to everybody in attendance today as we bid farewell to your uh successful commander as he goes on into his next chapter. So, Colonel Anthony, didn't know it was Anthony, I thought it was Bravo, Straw. And uh welcome to someone you're already very familiar with, Colonel James, also didn't know it was James, I just know you as Tracer, Morgan, as uh your new commander, former uh DO and now commander. So, welcome uh to Bravo's uh uh family, uh Jessica Remington, Theodore, welcome. Uh also uh Tracer's uh family, Sarah, uh Will, call sign Will, writes William, but call sign Will.
Sorry to embarrass you, buddy. All right, and uh Elise and mother Bonnie. Uh and as mentioned earlier, but I want to give a shout-out to those attending virtually cuz it's important, family, super important. So, to uh Bravo's uh mom, Julie, attending virtually from uh Nevada and his mother-in-law, Mary, attending from Alabama. And then Tracer's uh great aunt, Joyce, 94 years old, attending virtually from Houston, Texas. So, welcome. Also, all colonels, chiefs, commanders, alumni, friends and family, and the men and women of the mighty 340th, welcome. It's an honor to be here today with my wingman and command chief, Chief Genciana. So, thank you very much for attending today.
All right, let's talk about the 340th Flying Training Group. Uh your mission statement is to provide ready and resilient instructors across AETC and unequal support to the newest citizen airman. Your vision statement, leading provider of experienced, resilient citizen airman transforming the Air Force future warfighter to conquer all domains anywhere, anytime. Very powerful words. The 340th is the largest Air Force Flying Group consisting of more than 800 military and civilian airmen in eight squadrons consisting of 370 instructor pilots located at bases across the United States. They train and provide
experienced instructor pilots, jump masters, basic military training instructors, and Air Force Education and Training Commands instructor force. Big responsibility. They support undergraduate flying training, undergraduate pilot training, graduate pilot training, introduction to fighter fundamentals, pilot instructor training, Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training, Career Enlisted Aviation Center of Excellence and United States Air Force Airmanship programs. That's a lot. You touch a lot of souls that are going to go on and lead in our Air Force. Big responsibility.
The history of the 340th can be traced back to the 1940s uh when then the 340th Bombardment Group was activated on August 20th, 1942. The month of May marks an anniversary of the victory of uh Europe Day that took place on May 7th, 1945. When the Allies [snorts] accepted the unconventional surrender from Nazi Germany to end World War II in Europe. Now, you may be asking, how is this significant to the 340th Flying Training Group today? Bear with me. Well, uh on May 27th, 1944, the 340th Bombardment Group flying the B-25 Mitchell bomber uh aircraft in the Mediterranean three theater targeted
transportation infrastructure in Italy. During this period in May 1944, the group was still reeling from a devastating loss uh when the Germans did an air raid on their base and they lost uh you know, heavy casualties and lost 60 aircraft. [snorts] Two weeks later on May 27th, uh their strike uh was the 340th's first combat action after suffering these devastating losses thus showcasing the units resilience and continued combat effectiveness. The 340th Bombardment Group flew more missions in the final Allied offensive in Italy than any other medium bomber unit. So from the very start the 340th showed resiliency and combat effectiveness which is still important with what the mission is today
training the next generation of warfighters. That's the relevance. The 340th has always been ready to fill any need when called upon in the past and you're you'll be ready in the future. So thanks for your continued you know go get it ness. Now [snorts] I can't go anywhere and talk to any audience without talking about the reserve advantage. So I'm going to talk about two points real quick. Warrior culture and surge capacity. So the what is the warrior culture? Standards are non-negotiable. We train as we fight. In fact the 340th does just that. It trains our airmen to follow standards and become the best airmen for the total force.
Surge capacity. What is that? Assured access to ready forces when our nation needs them and the 340th does that every day by training our next generation of airmen on the line. Now let's talk about Bravo Straw, okay? And we're going to start with family. All right. So with us here today as previously mentioned is Jessica Straw. They've been married for almost 7 years and interesting fact here. I actually read what you sent me. So you guys met let me get this straight. You met because you were Facebook stalking her when she was the traffic anchor at a news station.
And you messaged her and you were surprised that she actually responded. Fact. That actually worked? Yeah. Okay. So you're saying that works. Yeah. Okay. All right. Jessica is a public speaking coach, a realtor, and a mom. She's a talented dancer and a singer, and she worked at the White House on faith-based initiatives. She transitioned later to the to news where she traveled around the country before ending up as a main anchor for Fox News San Antonio. They got married in 2019. So, Now that they've got two children, Remington, four, full of thrust.
Yeah, you're Remington. That's right. And he raised his hand just like Captain America, right? He loves everything Captain America. All right. And Theodore, two, loves chasing balloons. Awesome. Don't lose that. That's fantastic. [snorts] All right. Remington and Theodore, your dad loves you very much. And though he's he's absolutely loved everything he's done in his Air Force career, his favorite job is being your dad. Most important job. All right. He also wanted me to tell you that he'd like you to both please eat your dinner and don't harass the dog.
It's in the script. You Okay, right. Exactly. All right. I'm sure there's a story there, but message conveyed. All right. [snorts] And with us virtually again, Mom Julie, Bravo says that the values that he got from you is uh the work ethic of hard work, attention to detail, and his faith. So, thank you. Well done, Mom. All right. Little bit about Bravo now. A lot of you know it, but this is customary to talk a little bit about Bravo just to kind of put him on the spot, embarrass him a little bit. Born in Reno, Nevada, has a younger brother,
Toby, and his grandfather, Robert Kemper, was a World War II infantry veteran and a D-Day participant. Uh he was also instrumental in Bravo's interest in the military from a very young age. Okay, and as a youngster, you know, you can't hang out around Bravo and not find out something about him and I'm sure none of you knew that he played football when he was in high school, right? Talks about it all the time. But he also was very active in his church, Civil Air Patrol, and he lettered both in football and baseball. He graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 2002 and he spent 12 years on active duty before joining the Air Force Reserve in 2014.
Uh he served for 26 years and has flown the mighty B-21 as a pilot and flown T-38s in six different squadrons at every ATC pilot training base. So he's also deployed on four different combat missions combat deployments flying over a thousand hours over Iraq and Afghanistan. So very well accomplished here, but I'll tell you what he's most proud of though as he leaves command of the 340th. He's really proud of the 340th's accomplishments under his charge. He's most proud of how the 340th headquarters staff took care of each other, picked up various tasks, and kept the mission of training airmen going during two government shutdowns and also continuing resolutions. Also proud of the 340th
culture shift. I think he talked about that in front of some of you earlier today. Uh so the culture of going to a service-centered approach working for the members. This was one of his command emphasis items and I can see it and I can feel it here during my visit. Also proud of the 340th flattening communications and engaging with two Majcoms to lean forward to position AFRC for the transition from the T-1 to the T-7 well ahead of guidance. Well ahead of guidance. We're working on that. All right, [snorts] he's also very proud of the quality leaders that have stepped up to lead the 340th squadrons.
Uh and I see it and I hear about it from them all the time. So, thank you for that leadership. It uh it permeates the whole group. So, his intent was to find the right servant leaders who embody selfless service and the passion for people and mission. And uh he's been very successful at doing that uh by with and through you. So, thank you. [snorts] All right, and uh the 340th also has an extremely high retention rate. So much so that nobody wants to leave the 340th. Believe me, I've tried. I want some of you rockstars to go on to do other things. But, that uh that speaks well to the culture, his leadership, and the fact that you get how important the mission is here. So, thank you.
All right. Bravo's now ready to uh transition to his next great adventure where he'll retire on June 4th. And then after 26 of uh serving his nation, he'll uh move the family to Birmingham, Alabama. You excited about that? Sure. And he'll go back to his major airline job. So, though he's excited about his future, he wants it uh he made it very clear to me that uh you know, one of his most proud moments was serving with the selfless airmen uh here and throughout his Air Force career who volunteered to serve. Uh it's been his uh life's greatest honor. So, Bravo, we wish you uh well. Uh and uh the we'll be passing the flag here shortly, but want to thank you for everything you've done
uh for the Air Force Reserve and uh this great group. So, thank you. All right, many of you know your inbound commander, but let's talk about him a little bit. First, before I talk about him and his family and his accomplishments, he There's one thing he said he just does not want me to talk about. And uh let me get this right. He does not want me to talk about Bravo's receding hairline. So, I will not talk about Bravo's receding hairline.
I do believe we call that a uh a snapshot, a valid snapshot. Okay. Anyway, fun and game That just means that uh your brothers and sisters love you and they're going to poke fun at you even when you retire, okay? All right, let's talk about uh Tracer Morgan. He's currently the director of operations with almost 25 years of distinguished service in the Air Force. Tracer commissioned in 2001 from Duke University Air Force ROTC program. And I'm told that he's deathly allergic to certain shades of blue.
All right. Uh as an active duty officer, Tracer served as an F-15C Eagle pilot. I'm sure you didn't know that. He's probably told you Uh and a mission commander, instructor pilot teaching IFF, uh and also uh flying the T-38C. Um also the MQ-9 MQ-9 pilot evaluator and mission commander. Uh and uh he's also conducted POTUS protection missions through Operation Noble Eagle, as well as dozens of kinetic operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Tra- uh Tracer transitioned to the Air Force Reserve in 2013. Uh he was teaching IFF as a part-time instructor at two different bases uh before serving as both the director of operations and then the commander at the 70th Flying
Training Squadron at the Air Force Academy. Then in 2024, he became the 340th Flying Train Training Group Director of Oper- uh Director of Operations. Tracer is a command pilot with 3,200 uh hours uh in four different aircraft, and he's flown uh over 1,000 combat support hours in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. I think I'm uh on the clock here, running out of time. All right, so Tracer's wife, Sarah, is with us here today, and she's a mom, a PTA volunteer, and Sink House. That means she outranks you, dude.
All right. She enjoys gardening and uh home improvement, especially demolition. Awesome. And also serving uh with the PTA and local church. You guys met at a Bible study in uh Wichita Falls, Texas, and got married in 2006. So, they uh if you uh do the math, April of 2006, they just celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary. Congratulations. Also uh with us here today is uh Will, 15, and I hear you love golf. Yep, I think we have established that.
All right, and Elise, 13, loves everything theater. Welcome. He wants you to know that uh that he loves you both very much. He's very proud of you, no matter what, okay? And also here today is Bonnie, a master gardener, Tracer's mom, uh and not here with us today, uh your dad, Henry, uh known as Mike, no longer with us, but he was a helicopter in the United States Army, and introduced him to the military. Tracer remembers very fondly his dad bringing him all kinds of uh like balsa wood airplanes, and between that and reading cover to cover The Right Stuff in 2 days, he decided that this is what he wanted to do.
So, great influence, and values that he learned from you, Bonnie, is integrity, perseverance, and courtesy. Well done, Mom. All right. So, you guys know Tracer, He's uh got lots of experience. He's been in the 340th both as a squadron DO, squadron commander, now as the group DO. He's the right guy for the job. He knows the challenges that you face and he's just going to take an already outstanding group with outstanding metrics to the next level. Is that right, Tracer? Yeah, you got it. I know you will, man.
I've got all the confidence in the world. So, thanks for everyone attending today. Let's get this ceremony going. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, please stand as Major General Bratfield presents Colonel Straw with the Legion of Merit. Publish the order. Attention to orders. Colonel Anthony M. Straw distinguished himself by exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service to the United States as a commander, 340th Flying Training Group, Joint Base San
Antonio, Randolph, Texas from 1 July 2024 to 18 May 2026. During this period, the exemplary ability, diligence, and devotion to duty of Colonel Straw were instrumental factors in the resolution of many complex problems of major importance to the United States Air Force. He led the group through the T-1A Jayhawk divestiture providing forward-thinking solutions for 85 instructor pilots ensuring retention of critical talent for the Air Force Reserve. Colonel Straw was instrumental in laying the foundation for the future of combat aviation while engaging with Air Education and Training Command, Air Force Reserve Command, 19th Air Force, and 22nd Air Force to secure an influential role for future reserve
instructors in the T-7A program training the next generation of fifth generation fighter and bomber pilots. His strategic acumen was pivotal in navigating two government shutdowns with negligible impact on the mission and in guiding his group to an astounding 99.5% budget execution rate. Colonel Straw mentored his command teams through four commanders leadership summits, drove innovation through the integration of data analytics, and modernized group processes. The singularly distinctive accomplishments of Colonel Straw culminate a long and distinguished career in the service of his country and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
Thank you, General Bradfield. Please be seated. Ladies and gentlemen, the commander 340th Flying Training Group, Colonel Straw. All right, we were told that uh can everybody hear me? We're told we're supposed to start using AI uh in the Department of War, so I let AI write my speech. So, I'm just going to read it cold cuz why not? So, uh Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Vance Air Force Base. All right, I'm kidding. I actually had to put a little bit of thought into this. So, uh first of all, I'm going to get some thank yous. Uh I to make sure that I thank some certain people, so uh Tyler Sickles,
Royds, uh Matty G, uh the whole team that put this together, uh thank you for your work. Uh a lot goes in behind the scenes uh so that uh I can stand up here and bore you to death. Uh so I really appreciate it, uh but more importantly to make it special for uh for the families uh and to honor really uh Tracer as he uh takes over my email inbox. Um To all the DVs, uh it's Bird Severe in the front row, uh thank you. Uh thank you for showing up, uh Buzzer, Snags, Slam, Thumper, Bombay. Uh I'm sure I'm going to miss uh miss some folks. Uh there's some Colonel Selects scattered in here. Uh Brigadier General Select, Squeak, Goldstein, and Carey, thank you for being here. Uh it means a lot. And sir, uh Major General Bradfield, thank you
for coming out. Thank you for letting us show you the 340th. Uh thank you for the trust that you placed in me. Uh thank you for not firing me. Uh It's been an honor to serve uh with you, sir. Uh I appreciate your leadership style. I appreciate uh your uh straightforward communication. Uh we always knew exactly where we stood, and we knew that you had our back when we needed help. Uh and that is a characteristic in leadership uh that often is uh it's And like I said, I don't want to miss anyone. I'm going to say uh I'm going to say thank you, but if I do if I don't call you by name, uh that is not my intent.
Um But I do want to give this message of gratitude. Um Two years ago, uh little yeah, little over 2 years ago, uh Squeak Goldstein uh put his finger in my chest and said, "Hey, you're the guy." Uh and I was really flattered. I thought he had a ton of faith in me. Turns out he needed an escape plan. So, uh with uh Squeak gone and Chill McMillan gone uh and no ADO, uh poor Sable Lewis, uh who is teleworking from Colorado Springs, uh was stuck running the group and uh four newly graduated brand new current graduate squadron commanders, brand new colonels got dumped on uh poor old Okey Tutor uh and said, "Go." Um and Okey was there with the B-25s in 1944.
Uh and that was uh frankly, it was a little bit terrifying um coming from direct from squadron command into group command. Uh in some cases, having to lead my peers. Uh it was something that was uh it was daunting uh and I spent a lot of time contemplation and prayer. Uh and it came down to uh what I would tell my brothers and sisters and kittens, if you love your people and you fly jets, everything else will take care of itself. So, I tried to do that. Uh I tried to bring that culture uh into my decision-making, into uh how the group was run.
Uh and hopefully, other people would take those uh those charges as well. Uh so, Squeak, thanks for having the faith in me. Thank you. Uh I appreciate it. Uh and thank you for setting me up to win. Uh despite bailing out and leaving a bunch of graduating squadron commanders uh to run the group. Um I also want to thank brothers and sisters and kittens that are here. So, um that was my first command uh and the way that they embraced me and let me lead uh and loved me. Uh, that was extremely rewarding. So, thank you.
The boss talked about things I was proud of. Shutdowns. Uh, th- those aren't uh, accomplishments of mine. The things that they read uh, in that Legion of Merit, those are accomplishments of the folks sitting out here in the group. Uh, so uh, members of the 340th Avengers, raise your hands. Yeah, you guys. I'm proud of how you took care of people during the shutdowns. How you checked on folks. How you made sure that uh, people could get to work. Uh, that was extremely moving for me. Man, I should have brought up some water.
Um, Oh, thank you. To watch the uh, to watch the care that the team had for each other. Uh, i- it was something else and I was honored to be part of that. For the culture that uh, that we've built upon uh, to take care of our brothers and sisters that are on the line, that are turning wheels, that are flying sorties uh, in the heat, that are pushing flights out at Lackland. Uh, the culture in the group to reach out and be able to give the commanders the support they need so that they can support uh, those airmen.
I'm proud of that. Uh, I'm proud of you for doing that. I'm proud of the way that our staff leaned forward. Uh, in the absence of guidance but understanding commander's intent uh, on how do we take care of people uh, when AETC moves fast and divests an entire aircraft. Uh, how do we [snorts] move fast when AETC moves fast and brings in a new aircraft? How do set up uh, the reserves of the 340s, and our brothers and sisters for success? Uh I'm proud of the way that you leaned forward uh to set us up for to continue kicking butt and training pilots. I'm really proud of the squadron commanders. And I see uh squadron commanders and DOs from the Devilcats, the Cobras, the Knights,
the Bunnies, the Firebirds, the Marauders, the Raiders. Uh did I miss anybody? Dadgum. Uh gave you I gave the Kittens credit earlier, but yes, and especially the Kittens. Um and it is an honor to work with you. I'm proud of the folks that you are for raising your hand, for saying, "Here am I, send me." Uh for standing up and volunteering for that extra heap of queep uh to take those phone calls, to take those short-notice taskers, uh so that your bros and your sisters could go fly the line, show up and get paid uh to keep kicking butt. Uh it is awesome to see you work. Uh and I'm so grateful to work for you.
I'm thankful for Chief Wagner. He's over there, stoic. Uh [snorts] Chief Phil Real before him, and my senior enlisted leaders uh who helped me out, who were absolutely critical in making sure that uh that I was considering the things that I needed to consider to take care of our folks, uh and to shoot me straight, uh which is something that on occasion I might need. Uh so I'm very appreciative of that. It made my job a lot easier. Thanks for being my partner. Thanks for helping / forcing me to be a better man.
[snorts] Thanks for being hot. Appreciate that. Uh and thank you so much for uh helping me have a closer walk with God. Uh and I'll talk more about that later, but I want to give you a little bit of a present. That woman uh in the last 6 and 1/2 years I've dragged her to Germany through COVID lockdowns [snorts] pregnancy and uh birth of our first son airline training command advance loss of her father, miscarriage birth of our second son, loss of my dad, TDYs phone calls uh in the evenings on the weekends uh she has done so much. So, thanks, hon. And finally, uh I want to give credit where it's due. And that's to uh God, our creator.
He sent his only son to pay the price for our sins, for me and be patient with me while I was a knucklehead, while I was fist pumping, uh taking shots in the bar and being a jackass. Uh I was not prepared for this command uh until I gave my life to Jesus. And that is a fact. And I wasn't ready to love people the way that I needed to uh until I submitted. So, I give all the credit to God. Any failures that I've done, any time that you've been like, "Man, that bro was an idiot." That's me. [snorts] Any Anything that happened that was good and fruitful is a result of him.
All right. Now I can talk about Tracer. [snorts] Tracer, you are the right one to take command. You are the best choice. Thank you for the counsel that you've given me. Thank you for your friendship. [snorts] I'll give you some advice. Anchor, no pun intended, anchor yourself to what's true, to loving people, and to flying jets. And if everything you do is anchored in in those things, man, you can play fast and loose. You can go out there and be relaxed without anxiety. You'll be able to withstand the pressure because if you know what you're doing is right, everything will work out. So, thank you so much.
It's been an honor to work with you, and I can't wait to see what you do with the Avengers. It has been one of my greatest honors to be a commander and be the Avenger 01. It is something that I will dearly miss, the people, not so much the queep, the TMTs, and those things, but the people and the relationships, and being able to have a positive impact on the people and knowing that contributes to the mission, knowing that the work that we do, there's not a single sortie flown over Iran right now that doesn't have a pilot in it who is trained by somebody wearing this patch. And the impact that we have is monumental. And it does change the
world. And that's because of the work you've done. And it's been an honor for me to be part of that. Thank you very much. [snorts] Thank you, Colonel Straw. Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the change of command. Publish the order. Department of the Air Force Headquarters, United States Air Force Reserves, Washington, D.C. Special Order Number G004, dated 5 May 2026,
under the provisions of Air Force Instruction 51-509, and effective 27 May 2026, Colonel Anthony M. Straw relinquishes command of the 340th Flying Training Group, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. And effective 27 May 2026, Colonel James M. Morgan is appointed Commander, 340th Flying Training Group, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. Please be seated. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct pleasure to introduce to you, for the very first time, the commander, 340th Flying Training Group, Colonel James Morgan.
And with that accent and announcement, I feel like I need some walkout music and I need to start warming up for a fight or something. Uh, that is awesome. Well, I uh I'd like to think I'm as funny as Bravo. I see Okie shaking his head, no. Um and uh I didn't have AI write my speech, but the there is an open bar after this, so I'll try to be brief and then we'll go. All right. Uh, just good afternoon. Thank you for being here. Uh, I will say today is a good day. Uh, but for me it's somewhat strange and sobering to be standing here today.
I'd say if not so many years ago, I was just a part-time reservist and truth be told, I was trying to be more part-time. Less Air Force, uh less leadership. And yet, uh through many providential circumstances that I won't go into now, I find myself I found myself applying for a job on this base. It was sort of a backup option. Uh, but only to be offered the job and then gently but firmly led by God to take that job.
It was in that job that I witnessed some great win men and women who served and led in ways that were not only effective, but fun, balanced, and carried out with a sacrificial love that drew those they led to want to stay a part of the organization. I'm seeing Okie here. You were one of those, as much as I hate to admit it. Uh Squeak, too. Uh and several more. So, slowly but surely those leaders inspired me and reminded me that although leadership is costly, it's worth it. And I knew it was a calling implanted deeply into my heart. That organization was the 340th, the Avengers. And even though I was only a small part of it, I kept finding myself taking the next step because I love being a part of such an amazing group of people.
Now, so many years later, I find myself standing here. Although I would have never predicted it and probably uh boss earmuffs most of the way resisted it, uh I can honestly see earnestly say that today becoming Avenger 01 is an opportunity I take on with gratitude, that I can give back to the 340th and to the Air Force uh after both have given so much to me. And so, in this gratitude, uh I have many to thank that are here in this room and elsewhere, uh but I have to again begin with God, the king of the universe. Uh he saved me. He adopted me as his son. And he has blessed me beyond measure. So, I say thank you. And I say thank you to all who put this together today.
Master Sergeant Saunders, wherever you are, that's amazing. I mean, you should maybe do some audio books, too. I think there might be some money there. Uh you're almost done, though. Uh Roy Spreeman, Tyler Sickles, Master Sergeant Gutierrez, Master Sergeant Ortega, Captain Gonzalez, so many others, thank you. The most honorable work is service. And your excellent service today has honored all of us. Thank you. Brett, my pastor and my friend, thank you for that kind prayer. But probably even more so, thank you for your brotherhood and your example.
Major General Bratfield, thank you for the kind words and for putting your trust in me or at least pretending to. Chief Tensenius, I know you really wanted to be in service dress today, but you still look sharp in those OCPs. Thanks for being here. It's really good to hang out with you. Uh Squeak or maybe I should say Brigadier General Select Goldstein, uh as a former Avenger 01, it means a lot that you're here. Congratulations on your upcoming promotion. Uh and thank you for bringing the Avenger name and style back to the 340th. All right, the 06 mafia. Slam, Snag, Buzzer, Bombay, Thumper, Clutch, and anybody else I missed, it's good to see you guys. I think maybe we need to make t-shirts.
Buzzer says he can do it in all his spare time. Avenger Squadron Commanders, DOs and SELs. Uh you're the heartbeat of this. So, uh you guys are an incredible group of leaders. I've already seen it and I look forward to working with you more. I also see some friends from church neighborhood. Thank you for being here. It's really cool and meaningful to me. I and to my family, uh to my great aunt Joyce who's watching live stream from Houston. I know you would have liked to have been here, but I'm so glad you can watch it online. Thank you for all your love and support for so many years. All right, here's the hard part.
Mama, I owe you everything and I can't imagine how another human being could love another person more than you have loved me. Thank you and even though we both wish Daddy was sitting next to you today, I'm confident he's smiling widely. All right. Sarah, my love, um good news. We don't have to move this time. You're the smartest and toughest person I know. Um thank you for your love and support and uh I think things are on the upswing.
Will and Elise, good news. We don't have to move this time. Elise, you're a bright light and I can't wait to see you shine in the coming years. Will, you are a force of nature and I and there's nothing you can't accomplish. I'm so proud of you both and I love you always, no matter what, and I have a few gifts uh for all of you guys. Well, speaking of Bravo, uh first, you're such a quitter. And I see the big smile when I say that. truthfully want to say in front of everyone here how much I admire you for stepping into that.
You didn't just do the job. You led in the best ways a leader can, loving your people and putting trust in them to get the job done. You did that for me and I know you did it for all the others here. Thank you for that and thank you for your service to our country over the last 24, 25, 26, whatever years it is. Um and Jessica, despite all the kind words, we know sometimes that man needs some help. Uh and your support and sacrifice these last several years cannot be measured.
Um thank you both. Enjoy Alabama and Roll Tide. All right, so this is the point in the speech where some would say I'm supposed to give some new bold and inspiring vision for the future. But I really don't need to do that. You see, my new job as Avenger 01 uh is just to point the group in the right direction and the simple fact is that it's already pointed that way because Colonel Tony Bravo Straw has already firmly established it in the right direction. His simple summary of our mission, vision, and values has been clear and effective. Love your people and passionately execute the mission.
Love your people, fly jets. Uh all the same. And uh I want to say to the Avengers here, that's what we need to keep doing. Taking care of each other and becoming the best we can be at our jobs both as individuals and as a team. My job is simply to help you get the resources and support you need and then get out of the way. Of course, life and work can get messy. Unexpected challenges are a given and people are imperfect, especially me. And so even though this charge before is simple, it most certainly isn't easy.
I can't say there won't be trouble. In fact, there will be. But, what I can say is that we can get through anything together. And my pledge is to be with you in it. You have my commitment. I have your back. So, as we get ready for the shirt to lead us in the Air Force song in the way I believe it sounds the best, a cappella, I have one more thing to say. The bar is open anywhere, anytime. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, please stand as Master Sergeant Devon Anderson proudly leads us in singing the Air Force song and for the departure of the official party.
One, two, red up, hey! Off we go into the wild blue yonder, climbing high to the sun. Here they come zooming to meet our thunder, atom bombs given the gun. Give them the gun! Down we dive spotting our flames from under with one hell of a roar. We live in fame or go down in flames. Hey! Nothing can stop the U.S. Air Force! Ta-da! This concludes today's ceremony. We invite you to attend a reception immediately following the ceremony here today in the park club. Thank you for attending.
