Vice commander address fair visitors

  • Published
HARRINGTON, Del. --  The vice commander of the 512th Airlift Wing spoke Wednesday before a country music concert during Military Appreciation Day at the 93rd Annual State Delaware Fair.

Col. David K. Berkowitz addressed a crowd of 9,000 before a concert by Jason Aldean and Rachel Farley, speaking about the unit's activities and the worldwide service of its members.

"The country music community and the citizens of Delaware are phenomenal supporters of the military, and I thank each of you for showing your appreciation for our service members, not just during today's event, but every day," he said.

Berkowitz, a traditional reservist, has been the unit's vice commander for a year. As a civilian, he is an American Airlines pilot based at John F. Kennedy International Airport, N.Y. The colonel said he was there on behalf of the1,900 reservists assigned to the unit, the only Air Force Reserve wing in Delaware.

"Our members come from 36 states to serve, but the majority live in Delaware," he said. "As reservists, we are your neighbors, friends and relatives. We work in the community during the week (and) we are called upon to deploy and serve across the globe. The work we train for and carry out here has a global impact."
 
"In the past year, many citizen Airmen from our Reserve wing deployed to 17 different locations, around the globe, making a difference," he said.