Valued Thought

  • Published
  • By Maj. James F. Crawford Jr.
  • 9th Maintenance Squadron commander
BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., --  Integrity First, Service Before Self and Excellence In All We Do has been a vector guiding us for more than a generation of Airman. It could be debated our foundation has been with us so long that we go about our busy mission execution often without even giving our ethos a thought. There may even be a sprinkling in the ranks that could say these words so often tend to be just that, words. A natural question would be then do we really internalize these seemingly short pearls of Air Force blue wisdom? We are in reality creating a path to follow, a vector knowingly or not, laying the foundation to chart a successful career. No matter if the task is large or small it takes your integrity, service and excellence to make our missions happen around the world, every day.
 
Not delving into a history lesson on the fruition of our Core Values, or a lesson on becoming a better Airman, Leader, Warrior, this is but an opportunity to stimulate discussion and introspection, your thought. Take a minute to reflect and inter-personalize yourself, or maybe even with others at work around a morning Red Bull or Rock Star. How do you digest Integrity, Service and Excellence?

As a former NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan Air Advisor in Western Afghanistan I look back in retrospect to what that experience has taught me through an event which occurred hours and miles away over mountain range in Central Afghanistan. You could categorize this event as a life changing moment, an event not near as costly for me as those who paid in their blood. Nine fellow Air Advisors were struck down that fateful day. We had formed a common bond through training in lives born from across many different walks of life. These friends, acquaintances, and classmates were the embodiment of what our nation and service calls us to task.

Integrity was in their mission training others in a land where temptation makes life difficult to see black and white. Service carried out in a land fraught with challenges just to survive. Excellence sacrificed by the life of an Advisor re-entering a building to save the lives of his fellow Advisors. We all too often forget what we are charged with U.S. military members as our Air Force duties span across the spectrum only until we are graphed with units from multiple wings, blended with sister services and joined with units from other nations do we see what could be asked. Life can hit you square between the eyes with a reality that leaves a very bitter aftertaste.

There is no way to really know a routine operations scheduling meeting carried out much like units across the Air Force in wings, groups and squadrons on a daily/weekly basis would be more than just routine that day. None of us would ever think a room full of blended individuals working towards a common goal of good in helping others would cost so much. From those events beyond our control there is no greater honor than to have been afforded the opportunity of a personal relationship with those who are no longer with us. My fellow Advisors were friends, husbands, fathers, brothers, a wife, a sister and in the end brother's/sister in arms. They are a poignant reminder of what exactly a cost may be asked of us as we carry out our military duty for our nation, a call of excellence to the highest caliber.

There is much more to say than a few simple words briefly reflected in our Core Values. We are held to a higher calling in the defense of the freedoms and rights of our countrymen and women of our nation. Thankfully most of us will likely never know when the ultimate price which could be asked, albeit the majority of us will never be asked in the span of our career to pay such a debt. Other than mere words in a Little Blue book or on a wall hanging in some room or hallway, how does the verbiage of our Core Values resonate in us? If this foundation grows roots in what we do such simple phraseology should hold meaning not only in thought but deed.

Every day, every action carried out in the pursuit of Integrity, Service and Excellence is only fitting as our greatest tribute to the last full measure of a persons' dedication to our way of life as citizens of a historic democratic nation. Rote memorization pales in comparison to my friends sacrifice. Choose a ceremony but even the most grandiose celebration of remembrance falls short. Only you can form a perspective of the true meaning of our Core Values. What do you take for granted and how important is our action as Airman? Even the smallest of duties supporting a cause greater than any one of us is made on the foundation of Integrity, Service and Excellence.