DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Col. David Benson, 7th Bomb Wing commander, held his final series of commander’s calls at the Base Theater, June 5.
Benson will be retiring from the Air Force after more than 24 years of honorable service.
“I’ve been to 28 countries around the world as an Air Force Airman, and only the U.S. provides that opportunity,” Benson said.
The commander thanked Team Dyess and reminded them to live life to the fullest.
“What you do matters,” Benson said. “What you do provides the opportunity for research, security and freedoms to excel, be a productive member of society and live longer. You all are phenomenal.”
Chief Master Sgt. Raymond Mott, 7th BW command chief, also joined him in speaking to Team Dyess. He revealed the Air Force is going to increase by 325,500 Airmen and the importance of getting them integrated into what the core values exemplify.
“We’re going to need to take a deliberate approach because we’re going to have a bunch of Airmen ready to do something,” Mott said. “I need help with making Airmen and people of courage who can stand up and do the right thing. The way we need to do that is to give them grit—the persistence to get better despite the odds. We need to understand the gravity of what we do.”
Benson emphasized the importance of taking care of families of deployed Airmen when reciting Team Dyess’ priorities one last time. He praised the growth Airmen leaders and a culture of heritage and legacy.
“Airmen are going out with their families to see places like the Women Airforce Service Pilots Museum in Sweetwater, Texas,” Benson said. “They’re going to the silo to see missiles that were decommissioned around here decades ago. Learning and living that legacy is paying huge dividends, so I really appreciate it.”
As always, Benson highlighted the base’s recent accomplishments. These accolades include earning 57 awards, passing the Command Cyber Readiness Inspection with an excellent rating, the first Block 16 B-1B Lancer deployment to Guam and sending 1,300 Airmen to 51 different countries.
“Continue to challenge, and continue to lead,” Benson said. “Nowhere else on this earth can we have B-1s and C-130s that can reach the globe 24/7 from the air. Last year, no other base took on 40 percent more flying hours while producing more than 100 B-1 aviators. It’s because of all of you.”
Benson has led more than 5,000 Dyess Airmen and civilians since November 2015. He was previously stationed at Dyess from 1994-1997 as a B-1 pilot.
“It has been a privilege to be your commander for two years,” Benson said. “What this team has accomplished is absolutely iconic. You should all be very proud. Thanks for being great wingmen and teammates.”
The call ended with Benson answering questions on topics such as current events, quality of life, manpower and his future endeavors. If you have any other questions or concerns, please click the following link: (http://www.dyess.af.mil/Contact/)