CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
In March 2003, I was deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, in anticipation of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
We were in a typical tent city with showers, laundry, a small morale tent and a basic dining facility.
Then we went forward to a remote special forces staging base near the Iraq border for a planning conference. This was a very desolate camp with fine baby powder sand that covered everything. It was very rustic with only the basic necessities and only meals ready-to-eat. After only two days, we were already tired of the MRE diet that the rest of the camp had been eating for four to six weeks. Sometime in the early afternoon of the second day, a rumor started through the camp that there was going to be "hot chow tonight." It was electric. I was looking forward to a hot meal after only two days - can you imagine how anxious these dirty snake-eaters were to get something other than an MRE for supper? The prospect of "hot chow tonight" had them acting like a bunch of children looking forward to Christmas, and these people don't get excited about anything. Fortunately, we completed our planning and were transported back to our own tent city in Prince Sultan AB that afternoon and I never got to see the faces of the troops or the satisfaction of the services team that provided their hot meal to those so eager to have it.
I am a Services warrior. One of the biggest challenges in the support community is trying to tie our daily work to the big picture. Where do I fit in? Why are my contributions important? Many of our Airmen struggle to find a connection to the Air Force's mission.
A common complaint is that we don't feel the same sense of mission at home that we feel when we are deployed. The "hot chow" team mentioned above never had stateside patrons telling them over and over how glad they were to see them. Getting an opportunity to contribute directly to the wartime mission is a rewarding experience and I am sure they will never forget how appreciated they were that day. This is echoed by NCOs who have been deployed to the area of responsibility multiple times; they feel like they're making a difference when they're over there. This job satisfaction carries over to their duties in garrison, and with their broadened scope, they understand how their stateside contributions mirror their actions forward. Now that they've handed a plate of hot food to a thankful soldier, provided a bed to a bone-tired Marine or set up a morale tent for a deployed community, they are more motivated in their work at home.
What about the young Airmen who have not been forward? If the true sense of belonging to a noble and worthy cause is learned from deployment, how can I get my younger troops to fully buy-in to the unit? The task is four-fold.
First, expect excellence. I truly believe Airmen today are capable of much more than we ask of them. Most formal training is written to a very basic level and only begins to prepare our newest team members for the unit's mission. By letting them know early on that much more is expected from them, we can tap into a wealth of energy that could be spent pursuing other things. Everyone must learn their job inside and out, but they must also seek to improve the unit. Challenge them to "leave the squadron better than you found it." Try to convey a sense of ownership.
Second, tell them our squadron's war stories. Stories that begin with "There I was..." and "When we were in Kirkuk in 2003 and 2006 ... " so they can get a sense of our unit history and understand this is what we do when we go to war. The primary goal is to refocus their attention off the immediate set of tasks and shift their vision to the horizon. In services, we are working to gather photos and mementos from our teams' deployments to preserve them in a public archive and also build displays to proclaim our Global War on Terrorism heritage. Services has accomplished some amazing feats and we need to get the word out and preserve it for those that follow in our steps. We are trying to build a sense of unit pride and an appreciation of our heritage.
Third, we provide realistic home station training to prepare them for a deployed environment. Three weeks ago, the 437th Services Squadron Readiness Section unpacked their food service pallet and assembled an expeditionary kitchen in the parking lot behind the Arts and Crafts Center. It was a hot, humid day, but I was very impressed with the attitudes of the team and the hands-on teaching. Realistic, hands-on training reinforces the message of excellence and builds anticipation for when it's their turn to go forward.
Lastly, I strive to convey to each services warrior that their contributions are important to the Air Force mission. It's not just cooking food, it's sustaining an elite force to go topple a corrupt regime. Those special forces that enjoyed that hot chow were in western Iraq the next week interdicting the flow of enemy combatants and materiel. Those services warriors contributed to their success and ultimately to the success of the entire campaign.
Everyone has a job, and everyone's job is important. If you can convince them of this simple fact, then step back and let these young Airmen use their energy and talents to take us to new levels of excellence.