But once out, they realize it's not the same. They don't enjoy the camaraderie and sense of belonging as much as when they were in the Air Force. We can never pay them enough money because asking them to die for our country if the situation arose is a lot to sacrifice. We have teamwork and a sense of loyalty within the Air Force family that airmen can't find elsewhere. I've seen this teamwork and loyalty demonstrated so many times when someone is in need.
People naturally chip in and help out.
The Dyess family and local community donated money, clothing, a Christmas tree and gifts for the family. Keane said support like that is few and far between in corporate America. Besides pay, Keane touched on the retention issue of operations tempo. The command has come up with solutions to help, such as improved communications systems between deployed people and their families, beginning the Customer Care University, and making better use of people's time while deployed. When ACC entered the second cycle of aerospace expeditionary forces Dec. 1, the goal was to provide predictability for airmen and their families.