Notes From The TAG

Originally seen in the Green Mountain Guard May 2006 Edition

Over the last few weeks, I have had the opportunity to interact with many Soldiers and Airmen around the State of Vermont. The experience has left me humbled. Our Citizen-Soldiers represent the very best from all four corners of our great state. Men and women alike, they are the modern Green Mountain Boys, tempered by an ongoing war, determined to do their duty here and abroad, serving their communities, their state and their nation. As I visit army guard armories around the state and different sections at the air guard, I have listened and been educated about deployments, the mission, the equipment, but most of all about our most valuable resource, our people. I have also had the opportunity to speak about what I see as the challenges and the great opportunities on the horizon. Even with conversions coming for both the air and army guard, nearly everyone I have met is excited about the future. Moreover, at every venue, I have and will continue to articulate my expectation for all of us who serve in the Vermont National Guard. My expectations are that every one of us will strive to display Integrity, Excellence and Teamwork at every opportunity. When I say integrity, I am referring to 24/7, personal and professional integrity. We wear the uniform and represent the citizens of the United States of America; they expect us to live our lives with honor. As for excellence, the expectation is that every member of the Vermont National Guard will give their very best effort to every assigned task. Excellence does not mean perfection. We will all make mistakes, but the key will be to learn from those mistakes and become better by the lessons learned. Teamwork is something we have always excelled at and we will rely heavily on in the future. Integrity, Excellence and Teamwork.