FE WARREN, WYO. -- I am near the end of a 30-year Air Force career and I am still amazed that I was "that kid" who, in 1977, told his best friend who joined the Marines, "Man; that has to be the dumbest thing you ever did because I'm not saying 'yes sir' or 'no ma'am' to nobody." 

Well, I found myself eating my words - I still have not mastered the act of thinking before I open my mouth - because two years later, I joined the Air Force, and I consider it an honor to say "yes, sir" and "no ma'am." 

My Air Force journey has been a good one, and I believe there are several key pillars that have helped me throughout my career. 

The first pillar is my belief in God. From my first duty assignment in Knob Noster, Mo., to my last assignment here, I have made mistakes, faced challenges and had a few assignments and TDYs; but I believe God's guiding hand and comfort helped me through the hard times. 

The second pillar is my family. My wife, Renee, and I have been together since high school and married for 28 years. 

During my later years in high school, I started hanging with the wrong crowd and cutting classes. During her breaks from class, Renee would find me and encourage me to get back in class. I do not think I would be writing this article today if she had not encouraged me to return to class and graduate from high school. From the day I entered the Air Force, her love, support and the blessings of our three children have given me more joy than I deserve. She has also kept things in perspective for me, and helped me understand what is really important in life. 

The third key pillar is the people I work for and have worked with. I have been fortunate to work with great officer, enlisted and civilian leaders. They have been role models and mentors that developed me into the leader I am today. 

Unfortunately, I also have served with a few negative leaders. The negative leaders have shown me what I shouldn't do, how not to treat people, and have reminded me we are not serving because of an individual leader, but to help defend this nation and provide the freedoms we enjoy everyday. 

My final key pillar is commitment. I am not sure when or how it happened, but somewhere between learning to fold underwear in basic training and earning the senior airman rank, I became committed to the Air Force way of life. I found myself saying what I heard other leaders saying; for example, "This is my Air Force." Without that commitment, the challenges and changes the Air Force has presented would have made it more difficult to serve. 

The pillars I mentioned are perhaps no different than others who have served for 30 years. Hopefully, a few of the words I shared will remind and help those who continue to serve.