JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
Many of us at Charleston AFB know firsthand what our second core value, service before self, means as we have packed our bags, said goodbye to loved ones and headed off to a war zone.
After eight years of doing so, most have become very efficient and skilled at what they do. If you are one of those folks and have read to this point, please keep reading. You may think you are at the top of your game--and you may well be--but as time moves on those who once deployed as frontline Airmen will find themselves moving into supervisory and command positions.
Fixing aircraft on the flightline, patrolling the perimeter, working the controls of an aircraft, or serving customers at the front desk slowly slips away and is replaced by time in the office behind a desk. For most of us this is an adjustment, but it is an important one. We become the "grey beards," and service before self takes on a new meaning--that of mentor and trainer.
Supervisors and commanders have always been charged with training and mentoring their Airmen, but in a time of war the importance of doing so intensifies. As we progress in our careers, we have the responsibility to mentor and train those who will one day take our place.
Mentoring comes in many forms. Some may think mentoring is simply midterm feedback; if you are a younger Airman you may think mentoring means being corrected on the spot by an officer or a noncommissioned officer.
True mentoring is actually a two-way street. It requires a supervisor or a commander to give their time and it requires the subordinate to be willing to listen, ask questions and change if needed.
My father, a retired master chief petty officer, taught me to learn from both the good and the bad experiences of others. I have taken this lesson to heart, as I have not hesitated, when given the opportunity, to ask accomplished leaders about the avenues they pursued in their career, and I continue to learn from leaders here at Charleston AFB.
As the 16th Airlift Squadron director of operations, I enjoy sitting down and listening to younger officers as they express the same concerns and ask many of the same questions I had when I was a lieutenant and captain. While the words I may use are not always the solutions to everyone's concerns, they give each Airman a data point.
When Airmen have more than one mentor, they receive multiple data points, which allows them to recognize a general roadmap they may follow. My advice is not always the easy path and it is not always related to flying. Sometimes it is how to balance a military career with family time. As a mentor, "service before self" is the giving of my time. This can be frustrating as I try to balance personal and family time with the demands of work, but I owe it to those following in my footsteps.
"Training" is probably the last word someone wants to hear after being deployed for 120 days. But training is how we fly, fight and win wars for our nation. Training determines our ability to drop everything to rush to the aid of those in need anywhere in the world at anytime. No one does it better than Airmen.
As leaders, it is our job to ensure we maximize all training opportunities. We cannot allow "train as we fight" to become a cliché; it must be our way of life. It is critical that leaders at all levels give of themselves. As a leader you cannot afford to cut corners, especially when it comes to training. You have to be willing to set the example in both word and deed while mentoring and training those junior to you.
I continue to be greatly impressed by the sacrifices my fellow Airmen make every day. Those sacrifices inspire me to do what it takes to ensure our Air Force remains the best in the world.