CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
A few weeks ago I had an opportunity to sit on a first sergeant panel for our remarkable Airman Leadership School, and one of the students made a comment how the Air Force has no "tradition." A pretty strong statement by this young man, but I pondered what he said for a moment. My first reaction was to object and talk about all the things I thought I knew were traditions in the Air Force, but maybe he's right. After considerable thought, I reached this conclusion: The Air Force has a very prominent tradition -- change.
Change is what our Air Force thrives on. Think about it ... why else are we the best Air and Space Force in the world? When General Billy Mitchell advocated Air Power in 1921, do you think he was relying on tradition to expand our force? Of course not, and without his vision of change, I doubt we would be where we are today.
When the Lampert Committee suggested we should be an independent service in the mid 1920s, was this bold proposal based on tradition? No, and although ahead of its time, their vision became reality in 1947; only after we were given our equal status did we begin to expand our wings.
When Congressman Mendel Rivers suggested the Air Force create a senior enlisted position, what do you think the traditionalists said? Initial reactions were against the idea, but ultimately the Air Force established the position of the chief master sergeant of the Air Force. After serving with nearly half of the 15 Airmen to hold the position, I can say the change has paid dividends for our enlisted.
I remember in the late 1990s when the Air Force created our new symbol, how those mired in tradition discounted it and thought of it as a passing notion. If you take a glance at the cars that pass on the street, the clothing our Airmen and their families wear, and countless other places, you will see it caught on as an icon rich in symbolism. It was the right change at the right time for our Air Force.
How about our changing uniforms? I remember when I joined we had green utilities, a dark blue long sleeve service uniform, and a set of silver-gray stripes on our sleeves. How useful have our Battle Dress Uniforms been with their versatility? How striking are the crisp white stripes worn on the sleeves of countless Airmen? Although I think getting rid of that long sleeve shirt was a travesty, I have embraced these successful changes, and more are coming. You only need to listen to Airmen ask, "Where can I get a set of those?" to see how our new ABUs will do, and think about the millions saved by having a true worldwide uniform. Keep an open mind about our service dress uniform's future; I am sure our leaders will make the right change.
Now back to the ALS class ... I said in response that the Air Force has but one strong tradition: change. Change has helped us become an aerial force, a separate service and a dominant power. Change has made us an efficient organization, a highly educated and revered enlisted corps, and I dare say, a more prideful Air Force. Are you ready to embrace our future of change? I am, so see you along the way!