General William E. "Kip" Ward, commander, U.S. Africa Command, held a meeting with command staff members February 25, 2010, at the Kelley gym.

Awards and thanks were given at the start of the all-hands meeting to honor those who served as Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) representatives and recognize units that earned noteworthy status for their CFC participation and contributions, Department of Defense civilian service milestones, and quarterly award winners.

"Just as the first of the awards recognized how you care about your fellow human beings, the work that we do sends that same message," said Ward. "So congratulations team mates for what you are doing every day to cause this mission to be carried out so nobly- not perfectly because we're human beings, but we work every day to make it better. We work every day to do what?...to improve the foxhole."

The commander also used the event to mention a few recent command events such as hosting a leadership seminar, participating in exercises, developing a posture statement for Congress, as well as hosting visits from interagency partners, a Ghana delegation and Senegal Armed Forces chief of defense. He told his staff that their work contributes to creation of a more peaceful and stable world and they should be proud.

Ward encouraged people to ensure they continue to do things the right way by asking themselves if they're proud of their work.

"What kind of footprint are you leaving?" Ward asked. "First of all, is it a footprint that you want someone to even know about? And secondly, is it one you're going to be proud of?"

Ward reemphasized the important work everyone is doing to make a difference for others. He continued by encouraging people who don't get the opportunity to directly see the results of their work on the continent to donate to charitable organizations, like those available through CFC, to see what a difference they make.

The general left his team with words of thanks and appreciation for all the hard work being done.