Random thoughts of integrity, patriotism Published June 7, 2010 By Lt. Col. Dana Venenga 90th Medical Support Squadron F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- The story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife in the Bible -- Genesis 39, verses 1 through 23 -- stands out in my mind as a tremendous story and example of extreme integrity. To summarize, Joseph had been sold by his brothers to become a slave in Egypt. Through hard work and dedication, not to mention God's grace, Joseph was very much liked by one of Pharaoh's officials, Potiphar, who was the captain of the guard. Later he was chosen to be the head of all slaves in Potiphar's house. Potiphar's wife took quite a shine to the strong and handsome Joseph, and made daily advances toward him. But Joseph said to her, "With me in charge, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" Finally, Potiphar's wife essentially threw herself at Joseph in a last ditch effort of seduction. What did Joseph do? He turned and ran away from Potiphar's wife. In fact, in an effort to keep him from leaving, she grabbed his garment and he kept on running out the door without it. Joseph knew by making the right decision, he'd likely be put to death, or at the least put into prison. Potiphar's wife lied to her husband and said that Joseph pursued her, so Joseph was thrown into prison. Joseph knew it was wrong in his relationship with God and wrong in his commitment to his boss to weakly submit to her advances. What an incredible display of discipline in knowing the difference between right and wrong. As professional Airmen, we all need to have fully developed, powerful, deep-seated convictions on what is right, and what is wrong. We should all have the inner strength to literally run away from a compromise of our integrity, be it a physical, mental, educational or on-the-job compromise. The Air Force has poured tremendous knowledge into each Airman from the first day in basic training, officer or enlisted, about integrity, service before self and excellence. Service in the U.S. Armed Forces is a privilege, and we can best honor that privilege by being men and women of integrity. Regarding patriotism -- in February, I traveled to Ohio to attend the memorial service of a deceased Airman. I was in awe of the way the men and women of the Air Force honored this young man. The chaplain and honor guard personnel came from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and were the epitome of professionalism and dedication as they superbly conducted their duties to honor the Airman. I was also deeply touched by the members Patriot Guard that stood vigilantly at the funeral home during the viewing and at the funeral the next day. They stood silently holding American flags, in the cold, for hours at a time to honor an Airman they had never met. I am incredibly proud and blessed to be part of the family of patriotic men and women who take pride and joy in serving this great nation day in and day out. As always, please keep our deployed military and civilian warriors in your thoughts and prayers.