Spit and polish; A SAC mentality at Warren Published Oct. 27, 2008 By Lt. Col. Leanne Moore 321st Missile Squadron commander F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- As I emerged from a grueling two-hour emergency war order certification for a missile combat crew, I was drawn across our vault to the shrine of Gen. Curtis LeMay. The shrine, like many others I've seen in the sporadic but proud bastions of nuclear professionals at the Air Force Space Command and U.S. Strategic Command, sits quietly ... no dust on the candle or the sacred Strategic Air Command artifacts. No one knows who dusts the icons. Most of the time, people don't even notice the shrine is there. But when you do remark on it, are you drawn to the cold, beady eyes of General LeMay? What would he think about our readiness today? Has our SAC spit and polish faded and blurred with time? What is it about General LeMay? Why does our community still revere his visage? He was tough as boot leather and even earned the nickname "Bombs Away LeMay" for suggesting the United States should escalate its bombing of North Vietnam. "My solution to the problem would be to tell them frankly that they've got to draw in their horns and stop their aggression, or we're going to bomb them back into the Stone Age," he said. Despite his colorful language and blunt approach to war, today's nuclear warriors -- operators, maintainers, security, support, medical -- still worship General LeMay for his iron discipline. Think about where his picture hangs. His scowling face prominently hangs in places like the emergency war order vault, the nerve center of USSTRATCOM's warplan at 90th Missile Wing. It's in places where we demand discipline and perfection. He makes a cigar-chomping appearance in every morning's missile combat crew predeparture briefing, reminding every warrior in the room, "in the realm of nuclear weapons, there is no room for incomplete knowledge or substandard performance." General LeMay expected iron discipline of himself, and he expected it of every member of his Air Force. In 1949, when General LeMay took over SAC, it was a cobbled-together bunch of B-29 Superfortress groups left over from World War II. The command was in an abysmal state; less than half of the aircraft worked, and the crews were poorly trained. Through unprecedented discipline, tough training and attention to detail, the general transformed SAC into the world's mightiest strategic deterrent force. Today, our nuclear community is reeling from a sequence of events that are as challenging as those General LeMay faced in 1949. Our environment has been shaped by the B-52 Stratofortress transport incident, the Taiwan Four, failed inspections, sleeping crews and a Congress who is questioning our capabilities. You have heard we are the sum of our parts. However, we at the Mighty Ninety aren't the sum of those parts. We are the sum of our experiences here -- a legacy of winning, a legacy of discipline. In a few weeks, the spirit of General LeMay will descend upon us in the form of the inspector general. It is up to each one of us to exercise the self discipline necessary to prepare by truly knowing our job, reading the regulations and practicing to perfection. Look inside yourself; look inside your groups. Discipline yourself for the upcoming inspection. If you can lay your head on your pillow each night and know you prepared, studied, practiced and didn't waste valuable time, then sleep well. We have the discipline to conduct our mission flawlessly and we need to self-police and mentor those who need a little push in that direction. Each one of us has the responsibility to be a leader. Embrace iron self-discipline and reassure General LeMay we still have the old SAC spit and polish and the warriors of the Mighty Ninety are as honed and combat ready as ever.