CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
When someone asks what you do for a living, do you ever answer, "I work for the Air Force?"
If you are a military member, probably not. Military members typically respond, "I'm in the Air Force." When you hear people outside the military talk about where they work, you hear responses such as, "I work at ..." or "I work for ..." You never hear anyone describe their work as, "I'm in Company X" or "I'm in the Y Corporation." Only military members claim to be "in" their organization.
To the military or anyone familiar with the military, "I work for the Air Force" does not sound right. Analyzing these word choices provides insight into the military culture.
As military members, we are entrusted with tremendous power to win our country's wars. With that power comes enormous responsibility, and those six words, "I am in the Air Force," convey a powerful message.
To begin with, being "in the Air Force" means you are part of something bigger than yourself, a team with a proud heritage. Whether deployed or at home, you are an invaluable member of the Air Force dedicated to fighting for the ideals of our great country.
You and your brothers in arms form a team with a sworn oath "to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic."
That oath states you are committed to a team which is dedicated to ideals greater than your own, and it is not a group anyone can join. You must earn your right to be on the team. Earning the right comes with the realization you are "in the Air Force."
When "in the Air Force," there is an implied level of dedication and commitment that goes far beyond the level of the corporate world. That commitment means when you leave your duty section for the day, you do not cease to be a military member.
After all, you may be called upon to perform your duties anytime and anywhere. It is that extra level of dedication that leads you to perform any job the Air Force asks you to do to the best of your abilities, regardless of your wants. It is that extra level of commitment which motivates you to fulfill your deployment requirement even if it is not the best time in your life to be deployed.
It also means the Air Force expects you to conduct yourself in a professional manner at all times. Whether you are in uniform or not, you represent the Air Force. While commercial businesses generally do not concern themselves with employees' behavior after hours, the Air Force cares how you conduct yourself at all times. You are expected to follow all the rules at all times. It goes back to that power and responsibility the American people entrusted to us.
Your dedication and commitment to being "in the Air Force" does not go unnoticed by the American public. National polls consistently rank the U.S. military service as one of the most respected professions in this country. It's because of each military member's sacrifice to something bigger than themselves, the defense of our great country, which makes the U.S. military second-to-none. So when someone asks you what you do for a living, hold your head high and tell them, "I'm in the Air Force." You've earned it.