This is an important career milestone, and you should be very proud. Woody Allen once said that 95 percent of success is just showing up. And while each of you has taken many different paths to get to this point, all of you have proven conclusively that there is simply no replacement for hard work, determination, a positive mental attitude and a burning desire to lead. This will not be easy. We face difficult times as we transition to the 21st century.
Retention rates are down in critical specialties, especially at the end of the second tour.
If you follow the news, you will have learned that many in the Air Force feel its leaders lack the understanding or the will to make things better. Fixing spare parts shortages And doing the thousands of things it will take to make an Air Force career all that you in this audience expect it to be and have worked hard to make it. We need your help. When each of you came into our Air Force, the role of the first sergeant was generally accepted as the unit's disciplinarian. The first sergeant was respected by squadron troops, but if you ever had to go see your first shirt, more often than not, it meant bad news.