CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Many times throughout my career, leadership encouraged me to look past my little piece of the puzzle and see the big picture.
According to my superiors, seeing the big picture would hopefully let me see how the things I was doing fit into the overall mission we were trying to accomplish.
It was difficult for me to understand how repairing a spare piece of communications equipment would help us put bombs on target. I now understand that without reliable and properly maintained spares at all levels, our mission could fail.
I couldn't see how providing an Airman from my shop to work in a staff position would help my already undermanned work center. I now realize that without a staff made up of outstanding, high performance Airmen, we could not function effectively at any level.
I also didn't understand that by attending Airman Leadership School graduations, promotion and award ceremonies, we provide the recognition, support, and encouragement to propel our Airmen to even greater accomplishments. Unfortunately, I missed several opportunities to celebrate the accomplishments of my Airmen because I was focused only on a small portion what is important.
The Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team honored us recently by performing for our Airmen and their families. The team, made up of several Airmen, performed beautifully, spinning their rifles and bayonets mere inches away from the other team members.
As I watched, I was impressed with skills of each individual, but I was even more amazed by how the members worked together. Executing each movement with precision and perfect timing after undoubtedly countless hours of practice, each Airman had a specific role in the performance - his little piece of the puzzle. Each individual performing skillfully and with precision made the overall demonstration a work of art; each piece of the puzzle fit together perfectly to make up the big picture.
Looking back, I can now understand how every small piece of the puzzle at every point in my career helps make up the much larger picture of what our Air Force does for this great nation.
Most of us understand what our individual work centers and squadrons do; these are easy for us to see and understand. However, we also need to understand our efforts and accomplishments are pieces of a much larger picture, that of Air Mobility Command.
AMC's mission is to "Provide Global Air Mobility ... Right Effects, Right Place, Right Time." To accomplish this mission, AMC must be able to perform these core competencies: Airlift, Air Refueling, and Aeromedical Evacuation.
According to the October 2009 AMC Themes and Messages, "So far this year, AMC has flown 66 percent of the total missions in Iraq and Afghanistan." Hopefully we can all understand that the things we do in our sections and squadrons, our little pieces of the puzzle, make up the big picture and leads to mission accomplishment; your precise and skillful execution allow AMC to provide such outstanding support in defense of freedom.