By General William E. Ward, commander of U.S. Africa Command
U.S. AFRICOM Public Affairs  Print     Share  

WASHINGTON, D.C., 

Oct 7, 2008 — General William E. Ward, commander of U.S. Africa Command, addressed more than 500 attendees at an Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Corporate Luncheon in Washington, D.C. on October 6, 2008.

Ward thanked the AUSA corporate members for their support and the contributions they make to members of the U.S. Army and their families.

During his speech, he also talked about the value of teamwork in accomplishing goals and praised the physical, mental, and emotional strength of service members.

"Teamwork," Ward said. "That's what it took to build a full unified command, from scratch in record time. It's amazing what can be done when people get together, committed to a goal, because they believe in it, they know it is the right thing, and they have the will to get things done."

Following is the complete transcript of Ward's remarks:

Part One: Introduction

Let me say how privileged it is for me to be here. Now, this is kind of like being in front of your orals committee, as you have just finished your long series of preparative activities, and now at the conclusion you are presenting and defending [your dissertation].


Looks daunting here. General (Retired) mentioned to me that this would be a big event and this ballroom is full all the way back theree can you folks hear me ok? ["Hooah!" From the crowd] All right, I appreciate that, otherwise I'll have to get the bullhorn or megaphone out.

General Foss told me that he's gotta leave early, so being an infantryman I'm gonna do something real quick. So if you leave out that door, you will know what the messages are:

First of all, we appreciate what our corporate members do...

What you are doing matters...

And please, keep it up!!!

[applause]

Thank you for being here today. My buddy, Pat Hickerson, now she is one of my mentors, but she doesn't know it. But I have been tracking and following her career for many years, and here lately she always has a word of wisdom that I can really latch on to and propel me to the next level and that's what this is all about: being propelled to the next level. And I'm going to talk a little more about that in my comments.

And I'd also like to acknowledge General (Retired) Roger Thompson [AUSA VP for Meetings and Membership]. Roger came to me there in Stuttgart during our Initial Operational Capability year, when we were there trying to determine from week to week where the computer terminal would be, when our telephone numbers changed on a weekly basiss well Roger I am happy to report that, for the past three months, when I dial my phone, I get the same person, I've not changed any IP addresses lately, and it's working. Thank you.

It is an honor to be here, and I thank you for being here and I know many of you have come from a long ways away. This is an event that for us means a lot as those who love soldiers and Soldiers can come together and reaffirm what it is that we are to our Nation, and with the team that we bring together make a difference and doing what is right for our people, and in today's globalized society what is right for our fellow human beings. And that, ladies and gentlemen, friends, teammates, partners, is something that we Americans demonstrate globally like no one else.

And how does Kip Ward know? I've been there!

So it is very very humbling to be here with you, and this opportunity that I've been allowed to make a few comments about what it is that my command will do but more important the role that you play on this great team.

Over 550 in attendance here. Making it happen.

I am here today to do two things to thank the 4,462 AUSA Corporate members for their tremendous contributions that they makee that you makee to this organization. I have had the distinct pleasure of having strong AUSA chapters in many of the places where I have been, and they were strong because their corporate members, providing just absolutely fantastic support to Soldiers and families.

I can recall in 1987 (not so long ago for some of you, a long time ago for others of you), but there was the Polar Bear Chapter of Fort Wainwright, Alaska. And they were called "Polar Bear" for some good reasons. But as my battalion prepared to go for what was at that time one of the earliest rotations of the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, leaving -43 degrees and snow going to about 75 degrees and a bunch of mosquitoes, that Polar Bear chapter sprung into action. And then, at that time in some 'undocumented ways' demonstrated very very substantially why they are our corporate partners had meaning for us and our families as we deployed to Fort Chaffee from Fairbanks, Alaska.

I have never forgotten that. And it was at that time that Kip Ward because a lifetime member of AUSA.

Corporate members are great Americans whose objective is to support our soldiers and their family members. In 2007, AUSA's chapters donated over $2,700,000 to military units and community-based groups, much of this came from the support of you, its corporate members. All those funds and resources are earmarked for the soldiers and families. The tremendous work done by AUSA chapters would not be possible without this support. You, the corporate members, are vital elements of the team.

And teamwork is the theme of my talk. My second reason for speaking to you today is to talk about teamwork in this new era of 'persistent conflict', and how your teamwork exemplifies the type of work that my command is doing for the people of Africa.
The 1st of October marked a historic moment in our nation's military history the achievement of full Unified Command Status for the United States Africa Command, our sixth unified combatant command. The ceremony that we held in the Pentagon last week to commemorate the achievement of Unified Command Status was special; and not because we unfurled the new flag and officially declared the command as activated, but because of who else took part in the ceremony and why.

Within minutes of the command's activation, the Defenselink website posted a photograph on its home page. On it were the usual suspects -- me; my Command Sergeant Major Mark Ripka, (great Soldier, great noncommissioned officer); and the flag bearer; the Chairman, Admiral Mike Mullen; Secretary of Defense Robert Gates; And...Ms. Henrietta Fore, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, who also, by the way, was representing Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.
And some of you are thinking, hmmmmm. Department of State? USAID? Why would they be a part of a military ceremony? I'm gonna tell you why, teammates.

Ms. Fore gave a very passionate speech about the important link that exists between security and development, especially in the context of Africa and that she and her agency were committed to being a part of the United States Africa Command. From the beginning, senior members of USAID were in Stuttgart working with the military and Department of Defense civilians to build a command that would understand how to work effectively as a part of a team supporting the whole U.S. government effort in Africa.
We needed the expertise of the interagency. They have been on the ground working in Africa for a long time. They know the territory. And while our military programs, performed heretofore by three separate commands (my former command, the U.S. European Command, another command I previously served in, the U.S. Central Command, another command I previously served in, the U.S. Pacific Command), were doing a lot of good work, everyone in the Department of Defense knew that we do things better if we were structured in a way that leveraged that expertise. And that's precisely what happened.
We had senior officers from several agencies, full-time and TDY, on our staff.

Homeland Security, FBI, Treasury, Commerce, Agriculture, Energy, and others. We listened and learned from each other. We gained an appreciation of their activities and capabilities, and about how our military activities affected the activities of other agencies, and vice versa. And we learned how to do our mission better.
Teamwork. That's what it took to build a full unified command, from scratch (nada, nichts) in record time. It's amazing what can be done when people get together, committed to a goal, because they believe in it, they know it is the right thing, and they have the will to get things done.

When I talk to my teammates military and civilian, I like to talk about improving the foxhole. I know some of the soldiers in this room here have probably heard me say this before. But it is worth saying again, for the benefit of us all.
It is easy for a soldier to build a foxhole and think he's doing a good job at it. But the only way to know how good the foxhole really is, is to get out of it, go downrange, and look back at it and then see it from a different perspective. And then, you know if you've been effective at what you've done. Then, you can make improvements to it with greater confidence.

That was the beauty of USAFRICOM's establishment. We all, military and civilians, got out of our foxholes and I still tell them to do that, get out of your foxhole look at what you're doing from the perspective of someone else, especially the perspectives of the other stakeholders, collaborate, and together build a unique organization with a unique mission, in concert with our African friends as well. This approach was so different, so significant, from what we have traditionally done that the USAID Administrator participated in our activation ceremony to symbolize that activation.
We really have come a long way as a military.

I don't know how many of you realize this, but the "birthday" of U.S. AFRICOM as a full unified command which happened last week was also the 22nd birthday of the famous Goldwater-Nichols Act, signed into law by President Reagan on 1 October 1986, bringing the services together as a joint family.

Only back then, it was a squabbling, dysfunctional family.

Those of us who were in uniform back then know precisely what I mean! We didn't necessarily want to be a joint team. We didn't necessarily want to listen and learn from our Navy, Air Force, or Marine teammates. We didn't necessarily want to leave our foxholes and look at things from a different perspective.
We all soon found out what was clearly obvious to those of us who supported 'jointness'' that we have more potential as a broader team. Now, we are moving into the area of interagency integration.

But, all that aside, the Army is still the Army, and foxholes (known by other names today) are still foxholes. It takes hard work to dig a foxhole. It takes initiative and savvy to improve it. It takes leadership to make sure that all the foxholes are dug in the right places to form a perimeter, to set out effective patrols, to do what we do that no one but land forces do capture and hold terrain.
Time and time again, history has proven that capturing and holding terrain are central to achieving victory, and for creating conditions that lead to stability, security, development, and peace following a conflict.

The strength of our joint teamm and now our interagency teamm is built on the foundation of a strong United States Army. Our Army exemplifies what our Nation stands for its people, its values, its freedom, and its power it is the Army.
Many of you heard Secretary Geren talking about Army values, what those values have meant for our Nation. Sixty year ago, with President Truman signing of Executive Orders 9980 and 9981 to de-segregate our Armed Forces, to cause the rich diversity of its people to be used in ways that benefit all of its people. We now are faced with a similar task from the Secretary, to turn that same energy and spirit and bring our values to bear as we stamp out sexual harassment and assault in our Army. There are things that we all look to do from time to time.
Part Two Theme for This Year's Convention.

The theme for this year's AUSA convention is one that I see as so important. "America's Army the Strength of the Nation" Appropriate that we, on the forefront again, leading something that will make a difference for our Nation.
"Strength" is a powerful wordd "Army Strong"" that means different things to different people. There's physical strength, measured in how many push-ups or how fast we can go.
I used to do a whole lot of push-ups. Can't do so any more. [goes off to the side and does some push-ups] But as I look out to the crowd I see some hot-rods who can do a whole lot of push-ups. I used to run real fast too, not quite as fast as the chief there, General Reimer, you know I used to watch real fast, Chief. I don't run as fast as I used to anymore, obviously.
But there's also mental and emotional strength, having the toughness to endure the strains of combat. The mental strength to do the right thing when your buddies to your left and your right chastise you for that.
There is an element of our strength whose value is immeasurable, and that is trust. I'm talking about the trust that our nation puts upon us to perform our missions when directed by the President. the trust our nation puts upon us to train, equip, and prepare our young women and men for the rigors of combat and to care for them and their families throughout and the trust that our fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, diplomats, disaster assistance specialists, and others place in us as we go forward in pursuit of our national objectives.
And then, there is the trust we have in one anotherr our buddiess those who fight with us, those who train with us, those who we care for, those who know that we will never leave them behind. That trust keeps us on the straight path, the right path when things get tough.
This isn't just about combat. This trust, this strength that I am talking about extends in peacee in the world of security assistance that is a large part of what unified commands do all over. Our partners in Africa may not like everything our nation does, but when their Soldiers meet our Soldiers for training, exercises, military-to-military contacts, they see the best of America.
And they want to be like us trusted by their people; physically, mentally, emotionally strong; and to be seen as protectors of their people, and not oppressors.
Those African partners may not be here in this room this afternoon, but I tell you they know about public-private partnerships like we have here. They know their value in terms of how it helps to build capability and bring the military and civilian populations together.
I say again, they see what we have, and they want to be like us. That, my friends and teammates, is real STRENGTH.
If America's Army is the strength of the nation, then the strength of the Army is its peoplee everyone associated with the Army, not just its Soldiers and their families, but everyone who contributes to the well-being and readiness of our Army. And that is why I am so glad to be here to honor the contributions of the corporate partners of the Association of the United States Army.

Part Three: AUSA and its Chapters Exemplify Strength.

The contributions that corporate members make are often subtle, behind the scenes, sometimes not quite so behind the scenes, but the impact made is visible and appreciated. This is your luncheon, your event, when we highlight the good that you have done for AUSA.
I would like to take a moment to present a few examples of the tremendous initiatives and activities conducted by various chapters with sponsorship and assistance from corporate members. I am not going to cite individual chapters and members by name, because I would want to name them all, but this convention is only three days long.

Several chapters have established unit adoption programs that partner Army units with corporate members. This helps bind the unit with the local community while at home station and also helps build a home front for the unit while deployed. The care packages sent forward and the work with family readiness groups in the rear are greatly appreciated through this program. There are hundreds of such links established around the Army, enhancing the morale and readiness of units who know their loved ones at home are being care for.

Thank you, corporate members for your active support for our wounded teammates and their families by fund-raisers, donating to great efforts like the Fisher House Foundation, volunteering at VA medical centers, providing direct assistance (monetary as well as time) to help Soldiers and veterans seriously injured and disabled in combat. There are stories everywhere of AUSA corporate members helping our disabled veterans and their spouses get back on their feet, get meaningful jobs, provide emotional support, and rebuild their lives.

They are active in supporting our accession programs partnering with local ROTC and JROTC units, participating in Officer Candidate School commissioning ceremonies.
I will highlight an activity from my current home chapter, the Stuttgart Chapter. In support of the Warrior Transition Program, the Stuttgart Chapter is conducting a Job Fair in January 2009 with the help of Army Community Services. This is for all active duty, guard/reserve, civilians, retirees, spouses and family members. The goal: provide a world class job fair for the military communities OCONUS, because we have our Nation's men and women serving outside of CONUS just as much as they serve here. Not by their choice, but by the choice of our Nation being made here where they get sent. This program that will be established will highlight and provide the opportunity for soldiers assigned to the Warrior Transition Units (WTU) to be interviewed for future civilian employment. So if you have any potential interest, get in touch with them. I'm sure they'd be happy to hear about your program so you could support them. Again, this is possible through the chapter's corporate members.
So in addition to this, the main story is what do you do to support our soldiers and families? I talked about the 'adopt a unit' program a bit ago. Now I've got to tell you, I've got to be a bit parochial right here, because [of one person who was honored at the Opening Ceremony] this morning, COL(R) Mike Plummer, an old Commando Six, same brigade that I commanded, started when 10th Mountain Division began its deployment to Somalia for the first time ("CLIMB TO GLORY!", "TO THE TOP!"). It wasn't Kip Ward's idea. It was the idea of some concerned citizens who were teammates and partners who had a little bit of wherewithal to help their buddies. Noble, noble, noble. The goodness of it now transferred throughout our Army. Corporate members, chapters, around the globe, emulating that. And why? Because it was the right thing to do, truly reflecting the strength of our Army and its care and concern for its teammates.
I often talk about "what do you do as a teammate?" "How do you perform whatever it is that you do as a teammate?" Is it to improve upon yourself, to make you better? The answer to that is absolutely not. As a teammate, what you do enhances other members of your team [and helps them] to be better. And so I'm thankful for the teaming that's being done by our corporate members because what you do causes all of us to be better.

Many other activities were possible, are possible, because of your leadership, your caring, and your being a part of the team. Making a difference for our Army, and keeping our Army indeed the "Strength of Our Nation."
Part Four Conclusion.

I would like to conclude by offering a special congratulations to the chapters whose distinguished accomplishments with their corporate members will be honored momentarily. You have set the example for all, and you richly deserve these honors for the good you do for our Soldiers and our families.

I would also like to encourage you to continue to expand this network of corporate membership. Tell the good stories. Be open. Post your programs, your accomplishments. Show potential corporate members what a wonderful deal this is, where everything that is submitted is to used directly to benefit Soldiers and families.

This is a great program, because you, or corporate members, help make it great. Thanks for all you do, and again Army Strong... HOOAH!