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Col. David Mineau, director of Joint and National Security Council Matters, Headquarters Air Force, and his wife, Amy, received the 2017 General and Mrs. Jerome F. O'Malley Award from Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David L. Goldfein during a ceremony at the Pentagon, Sept. 26, 2018.
The award recognizes the wing commander and spouse team whose contributions as professional leaders in their community, best reflect the Air Force core values, highest ideals and positive leadership of a military couple.
“Each year we’ve recognized a powerhouse commander spouse team at this ceremony, but we’re also reminded how grateful we are General O’Malley saw the light and chose to fly, fight and win,” Goldfein said. “The people he led were a source of his strength, because what we do in our Air Force is first and foremost, a family business. Just as we expect of our commanders, the Mineaus were ‘all in.’ A commander’s business is wicked-tough, but this wing commander-spouse team excelled.”
The award covers Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2017, when the couple served at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. Their leadership instilled a “thriving, not just surviving” mindset at the 354th Fighter Wing, following the O’Malley’s approach with a focus on Airmen and family resilience, Goldfein said.
“One of the strengths of our Air Force culture is that we encourage and prioritize building life-long friendships and support structures,” said Mineau. “That’s one of the things that allows us to keep serving and enjoy serving through really difficult times. That’s the culture we keep promoting and passing on.”
The Mineau’s accomplishments also include developing a recruiting and incentive program and boosting morale with an on-base ski hill and lodge. They engaged with city mayors, the Chamber of Commerce and Congress to generate support for 800 new local homes to posture 3,500 new F-35 personnel.
“You’re tough, you’re steely, but you’re soft, warm and loving and do your best every day, and that’s what’s important,” said Sharon O’Malley-Burg, daughter of General and Mrs. O’Malley.
The award-winning team has served at 13 locations across the globe over their 23 years of marriage.
| Date Taken: | 09.26.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 09.28.2018 20:50 |
| Story ID: | 294946 |
| Location: | ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 21 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Showing how family strengthens service, by TSgt Robert Barnett, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
