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Get involved: Change base organizations to suit Airmen better

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Mike Weaver
  • Twentieth Air Force
Throughout my first year at Warren, I told people "I hate the club." No, this is not a pitch to get people to join the club. I said the same thing about how worthless I thought the company grade officer council was. And if you know me at all, you know that I'm fairly vocal in my dislikes. 

One day, it occurred to me that all I was doing was complaining. I wouldn't go to a CGOC meeting because I didn't like the direction the organization was going. I wouldn't go to the club because I felt it was a place where people go to make sure their senior leadership knows they are participating on base. I enjoyed sitting in my office and whining about what I didn't like, or worse, about what I didn't know. 

You don't have the right to complain about something if you aren't doing something to change it and make it better. It can be in your squadron, the Rising 6, CGOC, Top 3 or it can be in your local church. 

Instead of saying "Wow the schedule my shop works is the most idiotic thing I have ever seen," prepare a proposal for your boss on a new schedule and explain why it works better. You might even find that your boss has a reason for doing it the way it's done. 

Internet connectivity down in the capsules was an idea that had been floating around for quite a few years. The reason it actually happened is because a master sergeant at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., got tired of hearing about the idea and decided to actually do something about it. He built a demonstration of the actual system, showed it to the right people. Now it's close to being a fully operational system. 

You might say to yourself, "I am just an airman or I am just a lieutenant." The Air Force is an evolving organization and needs everyone, especially the younger troops, to discover ways to make things better. I have seen morale in a shop skyrocket because a few Airmen got everyone involved in playing soccer, which helped teambuilding as well as physical fitness. I'm not saying that some ideas won't be rejected or that every attempt will be a success, but even then you will learn things about yourself. 

So what did I do? I started going to the club Fridays after work with some friends to have a drink and let off some steam. And you know what? I actually started having fun, and now I look forward to Friday afternoons at the club. A lot of other people have been doing the same thing. The club has been the busiest I've seen in the three years I have been here. I started going to CGOC meetings; a couple years later I ended up as president where, for better or worse, I can now effect change within the organization. I don't get to complain about the organization because it's my responsibility when things are going wrong. 

You are always going to find something you don't like. I know that I'm at fault for not taking my own advice much of the time and just complaining about situations. But I felt much better during the situations where I was trying to get something done versus sitting there and doing nothing. It's your Air Force; why wouldn't you want to make it better?