Passing the torch...our most important mission Published Jan. 11, 2011 By Col. Michael Panarisi AEDC/PA ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. -- Now that most of the boxes are put away, the front office has made it a point to introduce me to our great community, and I have been all over the map meeting our Chambers of Commerce, school officials, and even visited two of the local Rotary Clubs. Here on the base, I've greeted a legion of students in our "Minds in Motion" effort, and toured our test facilities with local teachers under our "Evening at Arnold" program. All of these events highlight our valuable contribution to the community that so proudly serves us as we execute the test mission, and reinforces my belief that our investment in this community is "money in the bank." As I mentioned to our guests during the Evening at Arnold, we owe everything we can do here to the efforts, determination and sacrifices of those pioneers that put our base on the map. While we are certainly building new capabilities, so much of what we have here is literally decades old, and was born of a passion for discovery, innovation, and doing what has never been done before. That passion was forged in the minds of these pioneers long before they attended high school. The facilities and the test capabilities team AEDC offers to the nation are not the product of this week's endeavors. You just can't wake up one morning and decide "today I'm taking that motor to Mach 6." Rather, those that made it happen started their journey a very long time ago, and the only way we are going to maintain the edge that we have all benefitted from is to inspire the next generation to carry on this noble mission and take everything we do here to the next level. Our nation's security is in the next generation's hands, and they don't even know it! In this edition of High Mach, you'll see just a small part of how we are committing ourselves to forging the next generation of testers, and how you can join the mission. Much of our community outreach is aimed at the local schools...volunteering in the classrooms, hosting events, and helping our teachers leverage the immense talent pool right outside their doors. It's these efforts that will pay big dividends in the years to come. Today's youth are literally bombarded with competing demands for their time and attention, and we cannot hope to capture their interest without our active participation in the fight. If you believe that role models matter, and shape the choices our children make, then you have to understand that the most visible in our society (sports figures, Hollywood "megastars," and the next winner of Dancing with the Stars!) are not going to inspire the next scientist in the fight against cancer, or the next engineer dreaming of building a shield against incoming missiles. Certainly our current test efforts are bearing fruit, but we can't stop there. It's up to us to plant the seeds for the next crop. My challenge to all is to re-think how we can best spark the dreams of the next generation, and commit to making those dreams a reality. We all have a role to play in this critical endeavor, and I encourage you to seek, find, and exploit opportunities to make today's students tomorrow's "Legends of AEDC." Together, we can make this happen. If you run across a program, or have an idea that needs my support, please let me know. This is huge. I'm "all in" and I hope you will join me.