An MQ-9 Reaper sits on the flight line at Hurlburt Field, Fla., May 3, 2014.The MQ-9 Reaper is an armed, multi-mission, medium-altitude, long-endurance remotely piloted aircraft that is employed primarily as an intelligence-collection asset and secondarily against dynamic execution targets. (U.S. Air Force photo illustration/Staff Sgt. John Bainter)

Commentaries

What will be your legacy?

  • Published
  • By Capt. Carmel Weed Jr.
  • 919th Maintenance Squadron commander
DUKE FIELD, Fla. --  I have been in the Air Force for almost 20 years now, and I have seen change in everything from the uniform to the manner in which we perform aircraft maintenance. That is the one constant that we can all count on -- change.

As I have been put in different leadership roles I have noticed a trend that is not only relevant to the Air Force but to our society as a whole. We -- and yes, I include me in the "we" -- have become all too engrossed in the adage, "What's in it for me?"

Until we can overcome this flawed way of thinking, we will continue to limit ourselves and our Air Force. Surely none of us joined the military to get rich but to serve a greater good, a higher calling and to set ourselves apart.

Why did you join? What have you done to make it better? What am I currently doing to set the example in the Air Force and my local community?

Am I setting the standard? Do I have credibility and integrity? These are the underlying core values for which we should all be aiming.

"The ultimate measure of man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

We must set the standard and be the moral compass for our Air Force and our society in general. America is looking to us for leadership, and we cannot fail her in her moment of need. All we have to do is look at the current economic climate to see that integrity and credibility are in question on all fronts.

We must stand up for what is right even when it is not popular. We must band together for the greater good to make things better and leave a nation and an Air Force that our children can be proud of.

"I am my brother's keeper" is a moniker that I have been tagged with, but it holds true that if we are looking out for our brothers and sisters and desire the best for the Air Force and our fellow man there is nothing that we cannot accomplish or achieve.

I challenge you to reflect on the real reason you joined the Air Force and what you have done to make it better. Make a difference!