COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Col. Timothy Sumja, 23rd Fighter Group Commander, spoke to Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 16-05 during their graduation ceremony Feb. 19.
During the ceremony Sumja started by thanking all the distinguished guests, and the graduate’s families.
“For the families and spouses here today, thank you very much for your support, now, and I want to thank you in advance for your support in the future,” he said. “What we do in the Air Force is possible because of your dedication and support.”
He jokingly spoke of changes in the graduates and how they might have inherited the “secret Air Force language.”
“I realize you’ve already had to deal with some vocabulary changes,” Sumja said. “When you’re talking to your spouse, son, or daughter, instead of getting a ‘yes’ you will probably got a ‘roger’ or ‘affirm.’”
Sumja took the time to describe his experiences in the U.S. Air Force and what kind of deployments and sorties he went through and attributed them to his training and discipline.
“I know at times some of the things we do seems very tedious and repetitive. But it’s all there for a reason,” he said. “That training, and taking pride in what we do, allows us to be flexible to go out and complete every mission.”
Sumja also reminisced about his pastimes at Columbus AFB during his visit.
“It was 21 years ago; it’s amazing how fast time goes by,” he said. “It’s an honor to be back and it brings back a lot of memories. A lot has changed; I was flying the T-37, there was no T-6 or T-1 back then.”
After the ceremony Sumja requested that the graduates be proactive seeking out opportunities throughout your career.
“The work is just getting started; you feel like you just completed a year of pilot training and all is well, but now you’ve got to learn a whole new aircraft and a whole new weapons system,” he said. “Show up to your new unit with an open mind and learn from those around you, and take care of your maintainers.”
In the end Sumja wanted all the graduates to celebrate the day for their great achievement.
“To [SUPT] Class 16-05, congratulations, you’ve achieved a very significant milestone; one of the first milestones throughout your career and you should be very proud,” Sumja said. “Again, congratulations, and thank you for having me. I wish you the best in your career.”