Happy New Year everyone, and what a year 2011 was! Published Jan. 5, 2012 By Col. Darrell G. Young 934th Airlift Wing Commander Minneapolis-St. Paul ARS -- I read something about new year's resolutions that made me think of how lucky I am. The article in BusinessNewsDaily said that they fail in the first 60 days of the year for three reasons: We rely on motivation only We only think big We don't realize that even positive change is uncomfortable That got me thinking that I'm glad Air Force Reservists don't subscribe to this kind of thinking or 2011 would have been a horrible year for this wing. No, the Reservists of the 934th Airlift Wing did the opposite as they finished 2011 strong. This past year brought new faces to the team as we also said farewell to faithful friends who retired. We have seen well-deserved promotions and awards bestowed on our colleagues. We have seen new units join the fight. There have been the ups of returning Airman from deployments and downs of budget woes. These changes were overcome by more than sheer motivation but with hard work and team effort. These were not big feats accomplished by one person but a series of individual efforts by all of you for the greater good. And that is why we did not fail in 2011 and why I am so proud of leading you into 2012. The thing I want us all to remember about 2011 is that we went through thick and thin together. We left no Airman behind, we pulled together and finished the race. Sure, there were rough patches to endure in 2011 but we pulled through them as one team, one fight. Together, we fought the enemy, mother nature's floods and one of the worst winters ever. I'm not promising 2012 will be an easy journey. In fact, it might be even more difficult. This weekend we say goodbye to more than 140 Airmen as they deploy to Southwest Asia. It will be a difficult time for their families and for those left behind to do their jobs here. This is just one challenge that lies ahead of us in 2012. This year, there will be exercises to prepare for the upcoming 2013 operational readiness inspection and, as in the past, we will be asked to do "more with less." But I am sure, in true Global Viking fashion, we will meet these challenges head on and not slack off on our resolution to be the best wing in the Air Force! Thank you for all you do.