Say a prayer for the Tsunami victims Published March 17, 2011 By Brig. Gen. Ed Wilson Commander, 45th Space Wing PATRICK AFB, Fla. -- By now, we've all seen the countless reports, pictures and videos of the horrific natural disasters that rocked Japan. Specifically, the massive earthquake (the strongest in recorded history to strike Japan) and the resulting tsunami that tore through parts of the island nation. Japanese officials have said, this is "the worst crisis the nation has faced since World War II." It's a heart-breaking story to watch. We offer our collective prayers to those affected, wish them strength as they recover, and encourage everyone to support the relief effort now underway. This tragedy is also a reminder to all of us there is no immunity from the calamities Mother Nature can stir up. For us on the Space Coast, we "officially" enter the hurricane season in about 75 days. As we've seen in Japan, proper preparation and readiness are keys to dealing with major disasters. Towards this end, we will be gearing up our wing hurricane preparedness exercises to ensure we're ready for the unexpected. We ask that everyone participate in these events. Even all you old-timers who've "seen it all" along the Space Coast throughout the years. It's kind of like eating your vegetables, it may not taste so good at first....but the results are well worth the effort! Some of you have "been there, done that, and have the t-shirt" to show for it when it comes to hurricanes. Please put your first-hand knowledge to work. We encourage you to share your wisdom (gained by life's lessons) with those who may not be familiar with the region. Not all of Team Patrick has been through tropical storms, hurricane level winds and the kind of destruction that comes in large doses with hurricanes. For those who were in the region back in 2004, you remember the evacuations and inconvenience. Clearly, we don't know everything, nor do we even try to pretend we do. However, one thing we know for certain is that nothing takes the place of being prepared to the best of our ability for the things life throws at us. As one of my high school teachers used to say, "P5...proper preparation prevents poor performance!" That's why we train, so that we're prepared. We really don't want to fool with Mother Nature because you never know what she'll throw our way. As always, thanks for all you do.