Celebrating a significant milestone in our nation's history

  • Published
  • By Col. Michael Panarisi
  • AEDC/PA
This weekend, we will celebrate perhaps the most significant milestone in our nation's history ... our Declaration of Independence.

This is right on the heels of our own celebration of six decades as the world's leader in our mission here at AEDC.

These certainly call for a special event, and today we are honored to partner with the Tullahoma Kiwanis as they host the annual 4th of July Celebration and Air Show at the Tullahoma Airport.

This year, the celebration begins at 3 p.m. today and includes a variety of aerospace displays, (including a 60th Anniversary of AEDC Booth sponsored by our Company Grade Officer Council), aircraft static displays and a number of aerial events, headlined by the Air Force A-10 demonstration.

Fireworks will start around 9 p.m.

All in all, it promises to be a fantastic event, and one made possible by the hard work and dedication of the event planners and volunteers ... but more importantly, in part by the decades of service rendered by team AEDC.

President Ronald Reagan stated "Freedom is never more than one generation from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children ... it must be fought for, protected and handed on to them to do the same."

The founders of our country did exactly that, and we bear an enormous responsibility to sustain the nation they created.

Team AEDC can be justly proud of the contributions you have made in this effort.

While the our country celebrates "independence," we cannot forget the sacrifices of those uncounted millions who have served the call of a nation, in peace and in war, at home and abroad, first to establish, and then build a nation that embraces freedom.

Counted among them are the men and women who have called AEDC "home" and forged an Air Force living up to Gen. Henry "Hap" Arnold's vision of "an Air Force second to none."

I hope you will join us this at this fantastic event, as well as our own "60th Celebration" July 8.

And along the way, please take a moment to remember and thank all those who have made these celebrations possible.

Our nation has faced many difficult periods, and while we deal with our current challenges, we need to keep everything in perspective and recall the force that put our country on the map ... the unending call for freedom.

This has not receded and has stood the test of invaders, wars and catastrophes of unthinkable proportions, both on our own turf, and on those of our trusted allies.
This weekend, we celebrate the founding of a nation forged by a vision we all now call our own.

It's ours to protect, defend, and preserve.

In this effort, we cannot and will not fail. That's the spirit that guided Founding Fathers, and I'm honored to be part of the historic achievements at AEDC, where we've proven time and time again, it's our spirit too!