Farewell MacDill! Published May 14, 2012 By Col. David Almand 6th Air Mobility Wing vice commander MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve with all of you on Team MacDill. Cathy, the boys and I will cherish our time here and miss all of you. MacDill is special. The 6th Air Mobility Wing is a world-class organization on a world-class base. Not just that, but we have the privilege of supporting and living with world-class mission partners in defense of our nation, including U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command, the two combatant commands with the most prominent roles in the post-9/11 era. They are heroes. When detailed accounts are written of this period in America's history, I think we'll find several who lived and worked here at MacDill will be hailed as modern-day equivalents of Pershing, Puller, Farragut and Arnold. Tampa Bay is one of the most military-friendly and supportive areas in the country! Anyone lucky enough to get an assignment here knows it. From city officials, schools, sports teams, local businesses to all the great citizens, we are spoiled with incredible hospitality. We live and work on hallowed grounds. For more than 70 years Airmen have trained, worked and even sacrificed on this beautiful waterfront property. Bombers, fighters and mobility aircraft have all called MacDill home. For all of you lucky enough to continue serving here, please honor MacDill and keep it special. Hold each other to the higher standard the great Americans working and living here deserve. That means never walking by a problem and always doing what's right. Continue the high-octane excellence that ensures our missions and our partner organizations never falter. Don't ever stop showing off the talent, pride and commitment that has earned this installation a reputation of excellence in all levels of the chain of command. Keep the base looking sharp too, not only the work and home areas, but every square inch. Our neighborhoods should reflect the accountability we accept as service members to be personally responsible for all we're entrusted with. We also need to ensure our families and visitors know and follow our rules. It means respecting each other at crosswalks and obeying the speed limit. Make sure our children wear their helmets, we follow the housing rules, and so on because that is our culture. Our actions on and off-duty should reflect our core values. Anyone visiting our "city upon a hill" should quickly and easily recognize a culture of compliance, dignity and respect. Thank you! My family's and my life is better having known you! And as an Air Force family, we know all we have to say is "see you next time!" We're looking forward to it.