Looking back before the New Year Published Dec. 29, 2014 By Col. Kimberlee Joos 17th Training Wing GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Welcome to 2015, Team Goodfellow! I hope everyone had a relaxing and memorable holiday season. I also hope you're recharged and ready to get to work. The Airmen, Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Coast Guardsmen and civilians at Goodfellow have impressed me every single day with their professionalism and dedication to the mission. I am confident we'll be able to use those attributes to make 2015 the most successful year yet. In 2014 we began working closer with San Angelo and Tom Green County, signing one partnership charter and five agreements with local organizations to help improve our standard of living while driving down costs and making it even easier to work with our civilian counterparts. We're going to train with the Tom Green County and San Angelo Medical Center to help prepare the best possible emergency management and medical relief capabilities for the area. We're working with the Tom Green County Sheriff's Department on the use of our firing range, and working with Shannon Medical Center for our own tactical training. Goodfellow is partnering with the San Angelo Independent School District to create a sponsorship program, helping military children with a smooth transition into their new San Angelo home. With several new partnership projects underway, I look forward to more collaboration between Goodfellow and the community in 2015, increasing our capabilities while cutting costs for everyone. On Goodfellow, we continue to grow and improve our processes as we develop exceptional intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance and fire protection professionals to meet the needs of America and her allies. We graduated almost 14,000 students in 2014, an impressive feat by our trainers and support staff. In that number was the first ever class made up entirely of our Saudi Arabian allies. We hope to use this as a model to expand cooperation with our other allies across the world. In another building project completed this year, we saw the grand opening of our 50,000 square foot Joint Intelligence Tactical Training Facility. The new facility allows us to modify our classrooms based on the size of the class and use the most modern technology to prepare our graduates for operational duty. We've completed several other projects this year that will improve the quality of life on Goodfellow; including the sunshade pavilions outside of our dining facilities, a brand-new multipurpose softball field, and Gryphon's Deli, one more great meal option on base. Another program we're truly proud of and continually building is our volunteer program. In 2013 we gave an amazing 26,000 hours back to the base and community. In 2014 we gave over 40,000 hours! You helped out with big-name events like the Tops in Blue concert, the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo, Operation Warmheart and Christmas in April. You also helped with smaller projects and ongoing charitable work like highway cleanups, as child advocates, and in more ways than I can list here. Both the base and the community value your support and selflessness more than you know. As we begin 2015, we will continue to deal with a fiscally constrained budget and force management; however, I believe we will be able to deliver well-trained Airmen, Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Coast Guardsmen and civilian professionals in ISR and fire protection. This excellence is our duty, and will also be our legacy. Please take some time to reflect back on your own experiences last year, and also remember we can and will make 2015 our best year yet. I am honored to serve as your Commander. Happy New Year, and again, welcome back.
