MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan –
From time to time, I am given the opportunity to talk to new airmen about Air Force Core Values.
I am sure that you can imagine the excitement on their faces as I begin talking about this subject immediately after their lunch break.
To try to keep their attention (and mine for that matter) from wandering I relate the core values to lessons from the history of our beloved air corps and sometimes current events, if possible.
Lately, I have found a single example that can be used to highlight all three values in different ways.
My favorite example of this is Billy Mitchell, the first prophet of modern airpower. Let me explain my thoughts.
First, there is Integrity or maybe that should be Integrity First!
General Mitchell returned from World War I with a message for the world that went something like this; the nature of war has been changed forever by the invention of the airplane and if we do not recognize this and plan for it we will regret it.
Now, Billy was no stranger to controversy, in fact, he created it almost everywhere he went, but in the end his outspoken ways led to a reduction in rank and a court-martial.
I am sure that the decision to criticize the short sightedness of his leaders was not an easy one to make but, because he believed so strongly in the future of airpower, integrity demanded that he speak out.
Billy Mitchell displayed the courage to act upon his convictions even when the personal cost was high.
According to the little blue book, United States Air Force Core Values, that is one of the moral traits defining the Core Value of Integrity.
The second Core Value is Service Before Self.
General Mitchell did not defend himself at that court-martial, but instead used it as a pulpit to educate the public on the need for a strong, well funded, and separate air force.
Given an opportunity to try to dig himself out of this mess, he chose to place the needs of the country and the future of airpower before his own!
Finally, we come to Excellence In All We Do and I will bet you are wondering how I plan to relate this subject to our fearless example.
The concept of excellence is that we as Air Force members must develop a sustained passion for continuous improvement and innovation.
We must never be satisfied with the status quo. Remember when I said that Billy was no stranger to controversy?
Well it is true, in fact he was considered by most to be a very disruptive influence on those around him.
That's right! Billy had an attitude! He was never happy with "good enough" and challenged everyone around him to strive for excellence in everything they did.
Remember this the next time an Airman asks the "why" question and you are tempted to say, "Because we have always done it this way."
So that's it. Core Values have been with us from the very beginning and I believe they are the reason we are the world's most lethal Air Force.