JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
As in every profession, there are those who make good choices and those who choose poorly in their on- and off-duty endeavors.
Why is that so? I believe free will allows each of us to make decisions based on experience, education and personal motivation. When our personal desires outweigh better judgment, there is usually a price to pay for those actions.
Consequences aren't concerned with what rank you wear, what color your skin, or the last performance report rating someone received. Do you think the police officer who arrests the drunk driver, domestic violence offender or thief cares why they did it? No, they don't. All they are concerned with is enforcing the laws.
In the Air Force, we are bombarded with information on how to succeed in our careers, and those lessons can easily be transferred to life outside the gate.
For example, the Air Force core values are a basic guideline for people to live a "good" life. Also, Airmen Against Drunk Driving provides rides for those whose plan falls through, yet still we have offenses for driving while intoxicated.
Another example is the Sexual Assault Response coordinator and Equal Opportunity Office, who train us on how to treat all those around us. Airman and Family Readiness provides financial counseling to help the base community not over extend budgets.
It is the hope of all supervisors to have our Airmen retain that information and use those resources instead of having to call the Area Defense Counsel for support after a bad choice adversely affects one's career.
With the current operations tempo, life and operational demands will only increase. The old adage of "work hard, play harder" is still an often used slogan our people use.
By all means relax when you can, but be responsible in your choices. To that end I ask, as you go through your day please pay attention to those around you and try to pick up on those who are preparing to make, or who are making, bad choices.
Intervene and educate them on the risks associated with their activities. Regardless of your rank, your interaction may be able to prevent someone from doing something which can potentially end a life or career.
For good or for bad, we all have been given free will by whoever that is for you individually. I highly encourage each of us to stop and think before we act - and generally, if you have to ask if you should do something, the answer should be no.
Ultimately, this is an individual responsibility and your behavior is your choice.