CAFB commander urges community to build on nation's ‘spirit'
The nation's history is filled with words and living examples of what individuals can be if they believe in themselves, the commander of Columbus Air Force Base told a crowd Thursday night.
And as a pioneering woman in the Air Force, including being a Thunderbird pilot, Col. Samantha Weeks should know.
“I struggled about where to begin…and decided, 1776 and the declaration of independence seemed like a great place,” Weeks said of how she arrived at her keynote message to more than 300 people at Old Waverly's annual tribute to Independence Day.
“The colonists who came to America and ultimately established our nation were bold, courageous, and audacious individuals. They believed in John Locke's writings and used his words almost verbatim, when they wrote our declaration of Independence: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness',” she said.
“Puritans, Quakers and Catholics sailed to our shores looking for the freedom to worship and freedom from persecution. And the American Revolution pulled together a nation who was willing to fight for those freedoms. After gaining our independence, our government was founded on the idea of ‘integrity of the individual.' Where our bill of rights provides freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of religion and protects our right to bear arms. But perhaps most importantly, ensures that any power not delegated to the Constitution is ultimately left in the hands of the people. We continue to defend this foundation today…to uphold that ‘city upon a hill,' for all the world to see,” she continued, building the message of a lasting foundation for all.
A decorated command pilot who flew among the most difficult routines as a member of the Thunderbirds, Weeks, who also is the mother of a 2- and 3-year-old, cited the initial battles at Concord and Lexington that kicked off the Revolutionary War and recalled the words of President Abraham Lincoln and others addressing the spirit of freedom and how it has guided not only the country but also its people.
“In 1946, as a candidate for Congress, John F. Kennedy foreshadowed the struggle for democracy would be never-ending and eternal vigilance would be the price of liberty. It was the price yesterday, it is the price today, and it will forever be the price of freedom,” Weeks said.
“That price is paid by those willing to defend it…in the twentieth century, President Franklin D., Roosevelt said, ‘In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.' And we have done just that. At the Chosin Reservoir in Korea, in the skies above Vietnam flown by heroes like our own Gene Smith," she stated, referring to Vietnam War POW Gene Smith her introduced her at Thursday night's event.
"During the long, tense years of alert by people like my father during the Cold War, and throughout last two decades in Iraq and Afghanistan where we lost selfless airmen,” the commander continued, drawing applause from the crowd.
““Those individuals pay the price of liberty, freedom and justice. All those who have served have given some, and sadly…some have given all. But as an Airman, I know every time I take the military oath, I do so proudly knowing that I am serving something much greater than myself,” she observed, paying tribute to the huge American flag waving between two trees in the background.
She transitioned into the American spirit symbolized by that flag.
“Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, said, what ‘really unites us as Americans is an idea…an idea that you can come from humble circumstances and do great things. It doesn't matter where you came from, but where you are going.' Our history, all 243 year, has countless examples of that idea,” Weeks noted, mentioning the Wright Brothers, Henry Ford and others as examples, including her own story as a “military brat” dreaming of flying planes to serve her country.
“A dream that wasn't possible in 1981. But the foundation of our Nation—that anyone can determine their destiny, where patriotism, idealism, and individualism reign supreme allowed me to achieve my dream,” she stated.
“Today, our US military continues to defend our freedoms and democracy around the globe, putting themselves in harm's way, and willing to give everything they can. They do this so we can gather to celebrate the birth and prosperity of our nation and its people. Those airmen, soldiers, sailors, and marines possess the same boldness, courage, and audacity as our founding fathers,” she concluded, encouraging the community to build on that spirit.