COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Maj. Gen. Garrett Harencak, Commander, Air Force Recruiting Service, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, visited Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi, as the guest speaker for the Annual Awards Banquet Feb. 9, 2017, at the Columbus Club.
Harencak spent the first few moments of his speech thanking the nominees for doing all they do for the mission, the civic leaders for the amazing support they give to Columbus AFB and to the spouses for the sacrifices they make.
“It is awesome to be here tonight; it feels fantastic to be back here for these annual awards,” Harencak said. “I want to talk about the incredible excellence all of you do each and every day and how important that is to our Air Force.”
He explained the role AFRS plays and how Columbus AFB helps accomplish that mission.
“In the Air Force Recruiting Command, we inspire and engage to recruit the next generation of Airmen,” Harencak said. “Team BLAZE then take them and turn them into the incredible Airmen and warfighters that defend our children and our families and our way of life.”
Harencak told the crowd a story about visiting an exemplary Air Force recruiter. This recruiter had the highest percentages of recruits above his goal for a single-man office. He asked the recruiter how he was doing this to which the recruiter simply said, “I tell them my story.”
“What we need to do is to tell our story,” Harencak said. “You are a better person because you decided to wear the cloth of the world’s greatest Air Force. Your life has been changed for the better because of your great stories. That is your story. You need to be told each and every day what positive impact your story has on other people’s story.”
He explained Airmen are the most important asset in the entire Air Force.
“You all are leaving behind legacy with our greatest weapon system,” Harencak said. “Our greatest weapon system, I have found in my 37 years, does not come with a tail number or with a serial number. It comes with a social security number. What you all are doing at Columbus [AFB] is ensuring our greatest weapon system is always available for our great nation.”
Harencak continued to speak passionately about how every Airman has a story that embodies the mission.
“You prepare that weapon system to defend this flag,” Harencak said. “To oppose intolerance and justice, to oppose those who assault liberty and dignity and to prepare to fight and defeat evil. Now, that is a story worth living, a story worth telling.”
He closed the speech by expressing his pride in being able to be called an Airman in the world’s greatest Air Force.
“I am proud and honored for what you do every day,” Harencak said. “I am thrilled to be here tonight, but more importantly, I am so incredibly blessed to call you my brothers and sisters. Thank you and God bless you all, our great Air Force and our nation.”