People make the wing Published Feb. 8, 2013 By Col. Anthony Esposito 514th Maintenance Group JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Just how great a place is the 514th Air Mobility Wing? Well, to really know, try leaving for a while. That's just what I did back in 2007. It was a happy departure. I had just been promoted to Colonel colonel and had secured a position on the Numbered numbered Air Force staff - an absolute dream come true for any officer. The work was interesting, demanding and rewarding, yet performing my Reserve reserve duty just wasn't what it used to be. What was missing? Was it working the flightline in 12-degrees weather, the drive down the Jersey Turnpike, the two drill weekends a month or maybe the dining facility? No, I don't think it was any of that. What was missing was the one thing that truly makes the 514th AMW unique, the people. It's the people who leave on a Sunday night after a drill weekend who won't see one another until the next month. Yet, within the first few minutes of the next drill, it's like they've been together every day. It's the people we share the birth of our children with and the people who help us get through the death of a parent or a fellow squadron member. It's the people we get into heated debates with over who will win the next Eagles-Giants football game. It's the people who love our nation so much that theirthey're willing to leave their families and travel to places we sometimes never heard of to defend it. Since coming home to McGuireJoint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, I've had the privilege to serve on the Deserving Airman's Commissioning Board, which allows the top enlisted Airmen to interview for officer positions. Serving on the board provided an awesome opportunity to look closely at the future leaders of this wing. Wow, was I impressed.! The talent and enthusiasm of these young Airmen gave me great confidence that the future is even brighter than the past. What impressed me more than anything was not any one candidate, but the overall level of excellence the group had as a whole. Several of the Airmen were first or second generation Americans, representing an amazing cultural diversity, all possessing the same drive and ambition that have brought people to our shores since our nation's founding. The 514th AMW is a wing with pilots who own no aircraft and with mechanics who own no wrenches, yet we fly the most flight hours and re-enlist more Airmen than anyone else in Air Force Reserve Command. These results are possible due to the commitment of our people and the value of the relationships developed though years of hard work and great memories. Our commitment to each other and our nation drives us to success. We were wingmen way before the term ever became fashionable and we'll continue to be just that.! Ask someone who's left the wing what they miss the most, and I'm pretty sure you'll get an answer that echoes my sentiments - it's the people.