PACAF commander 'rolls out' Air Force Week Honolulu

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  • By Tech. Sgt. Chris Vadnais
  • AFPN
HONOLULU, Hawaii --  Gen. Paul V. Hester spoke to Honolulu civic and business leaders today about the upcoming Air Force Week Honolulu.

To celebrate the service's 60th anniversary, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley chose six cities to host an Air Force Week, a celebration designed to inform and educate the public about the important roles the Air Force plays in support of the nation's defense.

Honolulu is the only city outside the continental U.S. to be selected to host an Air Force Week and Gen. Hester said he was confident it would be a special celebration.

"I can tell you that our Air Force Week here will be the star of the show in terms of spotlighting the Air Force as well as the star of the show in community involvement," he told the crowd of about 200 community leaders.

"For that we owe a huge 'mahalo' to each and every one of you," he said.

The general highlighted a few of events for the week, which runs from September 7 through 15, just days before the Air Force's September 18 anniversary.

Among the headlining events are performances by the Air Force's premiere entertainment showcase, Tops in Blue, and three opportunities to see the Air Force's world-class aerial demonstration team, the U.S. Thunderbirds fly over Waikiki.

"I've told all my friends in the Navy and the Marine Corps and the Army on-island that we fully understand the Air Force is a part of the Joint fight," said General Hester. "There are times when the Air Force is in the lead, and there are other times when other services are in the lead," he said.

"But I've also asked them and told them to be a little patient because we're pretty proud of the U.S. Air Force. We're going to puff up our chest a little bit this September, but we'll never forget that we're a part of the Joint fight that America sends in harm's way to do its business," he said.