Resiliency is accepting change, bouncing back, standing strong Published Feb. 3, 2012 By Philip Bogdan Air Force District of Washington Communications Joint Base Andrews, Md. -- Resilience is the ability to recover from change, misfortune or adversity. The Air Force has had to face those challenges head on. It has gone from a nuclear deterrent mission, able to rain destruction anywhere in the world, to an Air Force that transports airmen and soldiers to far-off places. The dashing young men in their flying machines then evolved into fighter pilots flying supersonic jets that have dominated every air battle since the Korean War. We now have pilots who can drop bombs with such pinpoint accuracy that they go through the windows of targets. The latest generation of fighter and bomber pilots are young men and women in darkened buildings remotely piloting Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Resilience is accepting the fact that change is inevitable. We are growing smaller, yet our commitments and requirements continue to increase. We are doing more with less. All Airmen accept this challenge and precede full speed ahead to complete the mission. People are retiring or leaving the Air Force and because of budget constraints, these people are not being replaced. Instead, Airmen in Air Force District of Washington roll up their sleeves and dive into the increased workload. Resilience is the ability to return to the original state when adversity rears its ugly head. Recently, a fire destroyed several homes and disrupted the lives of families at Fort Belvoir, Md. Senior Master Sgt. Johnny L. Hamm, AFDW First Sergeant, asked for donations to assist the affected families. AFDW Airmen donated clothing, gift cards, money or anything that could help, exemplifying the Wingman characteristics of protection and assistance. When AFDW Airmen are deployed, not only do those remaining behind accept the increased workload caused by their absence, they send care packages to the deployed member and check in with the deployed Airmen's family to see what help they need. Resilience is standing strong when times are difficult. The Air Force and AFDW may be smaller, but they are stronger than ever. They Aim High to Fly, Fight and Win.