Airman Appreciation Day

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Brigitte N. Brantley-Sisk
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  The "Moody Top 3" group recently hosted the third annual Airman Appreciation Day event in an effort to recognize the contributions of individuals who hold the ranks of airman basic through senior airman.

"The purpose of this day is for the NCOs to say 'thank you' to all the Airmen on base for their dedication and hard work," said Master Sgt. Lance Sharp, 723rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron section chief. "It can be easy to take for granted all the hard work they do and it's important to keep in mind their contributions to mission completion."

The day began with a car, truck and motorcycle competition with three categories: best overall car/truck, best motorcycle and best sound system.

"I entered my car because it's one of only two unique Mini Coopers I've seen in this town," said Airman 1st Class Austin Lee, 38th Rescue Squadron aircrew flight equipment journeyman. "It was cool to see how much time and work everyone else put into their cars, trucks and motorcycles to make them stand out."

One of the day's judges not only agreed, but also had more positive stuff to say.

"It's always good to show appreciation to the people who 'put the rubber to the road,' so to speak," said Master Sgt. Michael Dunblazier, 23rd Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels compliance section chief. "With my career field, I have a special appreciation for those who can take care of their vehicles. It's awesome to see that these Airmen are as dedicated to the things they own as they are to their jobs."

Other events throughout the day included various sports, a free lunch cooked by senior NCOs and a dunk tank. Airmen were able to participate in this day because NCOs took control of the offices for the day.

"I think it's great that the NCOs were willing to host this day for us and stay behind in the office," said Airman Lee. "For the other 364 days of the year, Airmen do a lot of hard work that deserves to be appreciated."

That appreciation can go a long way toward a positive environment.

"The importance of showing our appreciation is to instill the fact that the Air Force's mission truly takes a team effort," said Sergeant Sharp. "If we don't show our appreciation, 'esprit de corps' may suffer and positive attitudes may turn into negative ones. This can lead to us losing our most valuable resource- the Airmen who make it possible to 'fly, fight and win.'"