This month, in honor of Veteran's Day, we are turning the spotlight on a very important aspect of our supporter base -- Veterans.
Allow me to introduce you to Alexandra Melick. Here is a bit about her and her service:
My name is 1Lt Alexandra Melick and I am currently serving as the Assistant Officer in Charge of the 357th Aircraft Maintenance Unit at Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona.
I started my journey towards becoming an officer by joining Air Force ROTC at Valdosta State University in South, Georgia, while accomplishing my master's degree in 2010. I commissioned in May of 2013 and went active duty May of 2014. My first duty station was Royal Air For Lakenheath in the United Kingdom which was an amazing experience working with foreign nationals and the mighty F-15 Strike Eagle. I PCS'd to my second duty station here in Tucson in May of 2016 and currently oversea 220 maintenance professionals and 30 A-10's as the only active duty A-10 training squadron on this base. I have always been extremely patriotic but had never seriously considered the military as an option until I made friends with several Cadets going through ROTC and it made me think that this could be a possibility for me. Once I headed down this path I never looked back. This is the best possible choice I could have made for my life and I love coming to work everyday and serving alongside the best of the best. We recently returned from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, where we took 14 A-10's and 133 Maintenance Professionals to help give our new pilots a taste of combat experience. We provided them opportunities to experience close air support by participating in simulated combat scenarios with the Army, as well as, supporting the Weapons School. All in All, it was an amazing experience and we had 12 Superior Performers coined by the Green Flag Commander on our final day. This is just a small part of what I get to experience on a regular basis and it is one of the many things I love about my job.
One thing I think the Air Force does better than most is that we recognize the importance of our people and we take care of them while in the service! Always striving to abide by the great motto "People First, Mission Always"!
Unfortunately once they leave the service, we are not as great about caring for their needs! I greatly appreciate organizations, like yours, that work with veterans to help make their lives better. I am proud to serve along side the men and women of the United States Air Force and I am honored to serve alongside the dedicated workers of the Moina Michael Poppy Project.
-Alex