CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Since the day we were old enough to go to school, we have had our experiences with standards. Early on, our parents and teachers set the standards for us when it came to school. When we became young adults, we set our own standards. We set a standard for what we wanted to achieve for ourselves and, later on, our families -- from our financial security up to the type of job and lifestyle we wanted to have.
Now we are part of a family where adherence to standards is a necessity. Everywhere we look in the military, the word standard appears. So what exactly is a standard? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines standard as something established by authority, custom or general consent as a model or example. It also says that standard is a structure built for or serving as a base or support. Both of these definitions definitely apply to our life in the military.
In the military, we know standards that are expressed are the minimums. They set the guidelines by which we operate day in and day out. Standards are made clear a few ways: regulations, supervisors during feedback sessions, technical orders, etc. All these things give us the guidance for minimum standards. We can choose to meet the standards or take the lead and excel at the standards. Our performance feedbacks and reports clearly express the importance of standards. Some standards are much easier to clearly exceed at than others. Take haircuts for example. It is a whole lot easier to pick on the men of the Air Force, as most of the time we are the ones who commit violations of this standard. Since arriving here in August, I have talked with numerous individuals about the appearance of their hair and the length of their sideburns. Everyone knows, according to regulation, men's hair should have a tapered appearance on both sides and the back and sideburns should not extend past the bottom of the opening of the ear. So why is this one standard the one that is most often ignored?
Everyone also knows we are required to wear headgear while in uniform. Yet, I have seen dorm residents walking from the dorms to the parking lots without hats and, most recently, someone walking around a neighborhood during Halloween, in full uniform with no hat. These two things are just minor examples of how standards are broken. People's perception of how we do our job can be made starting with the way we look. We encounter the civilian community on a regular basis and believe me, many know the standards required of the military. When we are out in public, in uniform, they are making judgments about the military based on the way we present ourselves.
Enforcement of standards is not just a job for the first sergeant and it is not just the job of the supervisor. Enforcement of standards is the job of all men and women who wear this uniform and take pride in what we do for this nation. Correction of standards infractions is not a negative thing; it is taking pride in the job we do to ensure we all meet or exceed the standards.