Your mission is to close a base in an orderly and professional way. We've never seen the base look better. That says something. The generals were hosted in Panama on a visit of Air Force force protection, housing and cargo palletizing operations essential to the U.S. pullout by the staff of Col. Roger Corbin, 24th Wing commander. The visitors saw x-marks painted on a closed runway and people packing computers and medical equipment for use at other bases.
Retention is our greatest issue.
A year ago I said I bet we fix our retirement system and achieve a cost of living allowance that exceeds inflation and slowly allows us to take a bite out of that disparity. We're about a month from getting that allowance written into law. We have airmen with families on food stamps. We take care of them better than if they were working elsewhere. Another common priority is modernizing for the next millennium, Eberhart and the airmen agreed.