Regarding the issue of housing… Published Nov. 7, 2008 By Brig. Gen. Edward L. Bolton, Jr. 45th SW commander PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- As my dad always says, "You have two ears and one mouth for a reason." Well, I have been doing a lot of listening over the past almost two weeks as I have visited many of you around the Cape and at Patrick. I am very serious about learning as much as I can from all of you, because I know that you are the subject-matter-experts. Not me. I appreciate all your efforts in getting me up-to-speed. One of the nice things about being your commander is that in addition to listening with my two ears, I get to "speak" to you each week about issues that are important to you and me. Sometimes what I write will affect all of you and sometimes it will not, but because we are all leaders, followers, and Wingmen, I think each column is worth the read. Today I want to discuss dealing with change and things we can control. Specifically, I want to discuss how this applies to the privatization of on-base housing. As I said at the Commander's Call at Patrick, privatization of the military housing here is something that was inevitable because the Air Force is getting out of the housing business. Since we first found out that this was definitely going to happen last month, your leaders have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that they were doing all they could to control how that inevitable happened; in other words, they were putting themselves in your shoes, asking the tough questions and getting answers that took care of the residents as much as possible. (In fact, they engaged with me even a few days before I took command to ensure that I knew the status of this issue.) And, as we continue on with the implementation of the process, I pledge to you that I and other leaders will let you know what is happening and expect that you will let us know if something isn't happening according to what was promised. By having an open and frank dialogue, we can ensure that at least we are heard, even if it is something we can't change. One thing that will not change is my commitment to taking care of all the Airmen of the 45th Space Wing and the members of other services who live on Patrick. Go Sharks!