 Hey team, I'm Chief Master Sergeant Mara Bedford. I am the 633rd Air Base Wing Command Chief and I just want to take a little bit of time to share my thoughts on the news on Afghanistan that continues to unfold. In ordinary times a wing-wide enlisted call would be appropriate but given our current health protection posture unfortunately it's not safe to do that right now. So even though this is not face-to-face I hope the virtual platform still helps convey my message to you all. And so many of us may be struggling to understand the full scope and gravity of the situation you're seeing on the news. These events may be feel deeply personal when we think back on the time spent with our brothers and sisters in arms and the Afghan people. So the one question I do see that keeps floating around is if our service in Afghanistan was truly worth it. So for this proud airman the answer is yes. Many of us will remember vividly and exactly what we were doing during the attack on our country during 9-11 and within hours airmen including airmen from JVLE answered the call to secure our homeland and took the fight against terrorism in the foreign land most notably Afghanistan. We answered that call in making sure terror never returned to our homeland. We served with honor and we must never forget our fallen brothers and sisters who paid the ultimate sacrifice. So our time spent there was both meaningful and necessary. We provided hope for an entire country and an entire generation grew up to enjoy freedoms that the country has never seen before even if it was for just a moment of time. Even now at this very moment our airmen are living and breathing our core values by focusing on the present mission to facilitate the safe evacuation of U.S. citizens special immigrant visa applicants and other at-risk Afghan nationals. Currently approximately 5,800 troops are on the ground to secure the Kabul airport to allow our C-17 aircraft to safely land and conduct evacuation operations and since the beginning of the evacuation operations on August 14 and as of August 21st we have evacuated approximately 17,000 people and have relocated approximately 22,000 people. I have seen many images that spark hope. A little child sleeping peacefully covered in an airmen's uniform, a young boy with a big smile as he enters the safety of the airport and that moving image of countless Afghan civilians huddled together in an aircraft as they fly to their new lives. I am very proud to be an airman and I'm very proud of those who have been a part of this endeavor and so while some of us may not be called to directly support this mission we are all trained professionals to understand the complexity urgency and importance of our own missions. Sustain formed by a credible sources and stay physically mentally and spiritually fit so we can be ready to execute any mission, anytime, anywhere. This isn't an easy time and let's continue to look out for one another and if you or your airmen need support please reach out to your supervisor or first sergeant and as you know all of our helping agencies are always ready to assist so do not suffer in silence. What means more now than anything is the character we show in handling the crisis abroad and at home. Continue to serve with excellence, honor and dignity. We will remain the world's greatest Air Force.