Our country counts on us

  • Published
  • By Col. Lynn Jobes, Commander, Mission Support Group
  • 932 AW
Integrity First, Service Before Self,
Excellence in All We Do - our core values
are the institutional foundation of all
Air Force activity. 

As members of the Air Force Reserve, we are unique to our
active duty counterparts in that we continually
step in and out of military status.
As a result, it's easy to develop the
mindset that some things are only important
when in uniform. However, the Air
Force Handbook reminds us that these
values are to guide the way Air Force
members live as well as perform. They
need to be internalized to such a degree
that we know how to act automatically
-- in all situations. 

To get there requires each of us to
spend some time thinking about how we
integrate these values into our daily lives.
We may ask ourselves: Am I doing all
things to the best of my ability? 

Am I turning to those around me to lend a
hand? Am I providing as well as receiving
mentoring? Am I doing things rightly, even when
it's more difficult or doesn't serve my personal
desires or interests? No less importantly, am I
living these core values at home?
While we may often think of ourselves as
part-time members of the Air Force, we are fulltime
representatives of this country's military. As
citizen airmen we come from all walks of life and
are representative of the great diversity and opportunity
that this country offers. 

And yet, we are part of a very special segment of our population.
As a member of this country's reserve component,
we represent about one half of one percent
of our total population. Add to that our comrades
on active duty and it's still only about one
percent. These are small numbers for such a large
task as defending this country against all enemies
foreign and domestic. 

Our country counts on us -- the few -- to
do what we're called to when the time comes
and to do it rightly. 

That begins with --Integrity First, Service Before Self, 
and Excellence in All We Do.....Always.