Well-deserved: 4th Fighter Wing's award sign of real achievement

Receiving an honor for the work you are doing right now is great, but to be named for the work you and generations of airmen have done before you is a legacy.

The 4th Fighter Wing received the James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle Award this week from the Air Force Historical Association.

Those of us who live within eyesight of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base know how much good work goes on there -- both here at home and abroad.

Thousands of airmen strive every day to make sure that there are jets to protect this country and to assist in the protection of ground troops overseas. They have done their work so well for so long that they are considered one of the elite units in the Air Force.

But although we might be aware of these recent achievements, few of us probably realize just how many decades the 4th Fighter Wing has performed missions with excellence and dedication.

The inaugural award the wing received last night does not belong to the commanders at the base or even just to the airmen who are serving there now. They accept it on behalf of the thousands of airmen who have come before them and served with distinction.

And we should be proud of all of them.

Published in Editorials on June 3, 2011 10:56 AM