JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
How often have you seen someone in uniform with their hands in their pockets? How about wearing their Physical Training uniform with the shirt untucked? These are examples of military members violating standards. When you see these violations, have you corrected them? AFI 36-2618, paragraph 3.1.5. states, "Exhibit professional behavior, military bearing, respect for authority and high standards of dress and personal appearance, on- and off-duty. Correct other Airmen who violate standards."
We've all seen these types of standards violations and we're all guilty of not always correcting them on the spot. Sometimes we are in a hurry or we don't want to face a possible confrontation. We might also believe that it's someone else's job to take care of it. These are not good excuses when it comes to ensuring we all exhibit professional behavior and appearance. Every time we fail to correct a violation, we effectively lower the standard.
Most military members do not start the day with the intention of violating standards. We might overlook something like the name tag we took off of our service coat for the semi-formal event and forgot to put back on the next time we wear our Full Service Dress. Or maybe we have a hard time keeping up with the changes and simply aren't aware of a new requirement, like tucking in our PTU shirt.
Don't put a negative spin on correcting other Airmen who are violating standards. You are helping them out. What if you were the person that was walking around with your PTU shirt untucked or in your full service dress without a name tag without realizing it? I imagine you would rather be corrected by your Wingman than by senior leadership in your squadron, group or wing.
So what do I hope you take away from this commentary? The quote in the first paragraph is from Chapter 3, "Junior Enlisted Airman Responsibilities". The first line in this chapter states "Junior enlisted Airmen must...," followed by the list of responsibilities (including paragraph 3.1.5.). My hope is that after reading this you understand that as soon as you earn the rank of Airman Basic, you are already expected to ensure you and the people around you are meeting the standard, a responsibility that never goes away.