CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
The word, "warrior" often brings to mind images of swords and shields; of victors and the vanquished.
Despite that common perception, being a "warrior" does not necessarily mean physical combat. It may also refer to a state of mind and a fighting spirit.
A little more than 25 years ago, April 18, 1983, the American embassy in Beirut was attacked. Six months later, the Marine Corps barracks in Beirut would also be attacked. The following month, I enlisted in the United States Air Force.
There we were, sitting in the military entrance processing station. Eight of us were leaving for the Air Force, four were off to the Army and two were joining the Marines. There really was no war to speak of. Our only declared "enemy" was the Soviet Union, but we hadn't even exchanged hostile words with them in several years ... let alone gunfire.
Terrorism was still just a concept. Our president, the press and our allies all considered the Beirut attacks to be criminal acts and isolated incidents.
We were 14 young men about to join the military, each about to become "warriors." That didn't mean then what it means today. Most of us, if not all, felt like we were just going off to learn a trade. We went to basic training, technical school and then went to work.
Things are different today. We are no longer involved in the Cold War - a war of ideologies and threats. We are in the midst of a war of bullets and bombs. What was a mere concept for my generation is now a daily reality.
When I joined, the war in Afghanistan was being fought by the Russians, and we were supporting Iraq in their fight against Iran. Things are different today.
We didn't deploy. We called it "temporary duty," and it was not for four to six months at a time. Usually, it was for a week or two, and definitely not for more than 30 days at a time. It was to places like Panama, Honduras and the Bahamas. They were exotic places, not dangerous places, but things are different today.
Warrior spirit? That only existed on the basketball court or the football field during intramural sports, and those games were a much bigger deal then than they are now. Back then, entire squadrons would come out to participate or cheer on their team; not today. But, things are different today.
As former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Ryan said, "This is not your father's Air Force." Things are different today. We are now being asked by our leaders to do things we weren't previously asked to do ... and to do them on a daily basis.
In his second inaugural address, President George W. Bush stated, "Our country has accepted obligations that are difficult to fulfill, and would be dishonorable to abandon." Today's Airmen are the instruments of those obligations. By raising our right hands and reciting our oath of enlistment, we became the means by which our nation will fulfill those promises - promises for our nation's security, as well as the security of our allies and those nations who can not provide for their own security.
We are being asked to go into harm's way ... daily. We are being charged with the responsibility to exhibit a warrior spirit.
But what does that mean?
Author Wess Roberts has done a wonderful job of describing the warrior spirit as it relates to leaders. In his book, "Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun," he lists the principles of the most feared warrior in history. Here are three which apply to today's Airmen:
· "By their own actions, not their words, do leaders establish the morale, integrity and sense of justice of their subordinate(s) ... They cannot say one thing and do another." - Even Attila knew warriors needed integrity first.
· "Be compatible to the policies of our nation and our tribe. Otherwise, you will seek ways to accomplish your own ambitions. Thus, you will ultimately lose, no matter how bold or tenacious your efforts. As a nation, we would accomplish more if Huns behaved as though national goals were as important to them as personal goals." - Here he describes a sense of service before self.
· "Chieftans should always aim high, going after things that will make a difference rather than seeking the safe path of mediocrity." - Sounds like excellence in all we do to me.
These three principles reflect our Air Force Core Values. These must be the bedrock on which we build our careers.
We've recently witnessed one of the most contentious and historical presidential campaigns in America's history. Whether your candidate won or lost is really of little consequence if you're a true warrior. For more than 230 years, our military has served under presidents representing various political parties. Time and again, we've proven ourselves to be successful.
I truly believe our success as a military and our success as a society depends not on who resides in the White House, but on what happens inside your own house.
· Are you living like a warrior?
· Will you answer the call to be a warrior?
· Will you embrace the Air Force Core Values and respond with a warrior spirit?
Our Air Force can no longer allow its Airmen to look on what they do daily as simply a trade or a job, as we did in my earlier days in the Air Force. We need to exhibit a warrior spirit ... because things are different today.