HOLIDAY BALL
Monday December 26th 2005
Swan Club - Roslyn, NY
 
 

 
 

Greetings to all of you at the Holiday Ball, especially Parents and Cadets of the Class of 2006.  I hope you excuse me for not attending this year as I am otherwise engaged, as some of you may know.  I have the most rewarding job any physician could want, which is caring for our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines in Iraq .  I work at the busiest Air-Evac facility in the world here at Balad Air Base, about 45 miles north of Baghdad .

I've sent you some pictures which I hope are not too blurry to see what I have pinned to my vest.  You might notice something familiar just above and to the left of the handgrip of my M-9.

 
 


I want the Cadets to know that I prominently display the Prop and Wings on the front of my survival vest when I fly on combat supply and med-evac missions.  Any Cadet worth his or her salt will quickly point out that I am “out of uniform” of course, but those of us out here “in the fight” tend to bend the rules a bit.  Usually they generate comments such as:  “Hey, I like your wings.  Where did you get them?” 

To which I PROUDLY reply:  “They belong to my son.  He's a cadet at the Air Force Academy.” 

No one has ever asked me to remove them.  I wear them for all of you.

 

At times my job is very difficult, to be sure, but I am constantly encouraged and amazed by the self-sacrifice, determination and dedication to duty of our servicemen and women, which compels me to offer the following Toast:

     TO THE CLASS OF 2006 !

     TO THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE !

     TO OUR SISTER SERVICES !

     TO ALL OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM, AT HOME AND ABROAD !

     AND TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA , - FREEDOM FOREVER !!!

     ( HEAR, HEAR !!! )

Take care, and enjoy the party,

Vince.

 
Holiday Ball Pictures