Choices: They're yours to make; make them responsibly

  • Published
  • By Col. Scott Fox
  • 90th Missile Wing vice commander
F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. --  Since Col. Greg Tims, 90th Missile Wing commander, has been away this week attending the Air Force Global Strike Command commanders' conference, he asked if I would write the commentary.

When I started to formulate my thoughts for the article, I found that while many topics jumped to mind, one simple word kept bubbling back to the top - choices.

The dictionary sitting on my office shelf first defines the noun, choice, as an act of choosing. Technically accurate, yes, but I think the other definitions are much more descriptive. They tell us that a choice is an "alternative;" it is "something best or preferable;" and perhaps the best of all - it is the "power, right or liberty to choose." Do we ever step back and think about all the choices we make?

Each day we make literally hundreds of choices - sit or stand, speak or remain silent, participate or sit on the sidelines. We choose one alternative or the other; we pick the preferable course of action. Sometimes, that preferred course of action we develop becomes something we call our plan.

Across the Air Force commanders, supervisors, first sergeants and leaders talk to subordinates about the importance of having a plan. Often times this is associated with a long weekend or break, and one of the specific intents behind that conversation is to prevent individuals from driving while intoxicated.

Unfortunately, since the beginning of the calendar year at F. E. Warren, we've had at least six instances where those plans failed or were non-existent. Six instances where individual Airmen decided to do something they had explicitly been told not to do, drink and drive.

Immediately following each of those incidents, leaders across our wing asked themselves and their peers very critical questions. What can we do to prevent this in the future? What should we have done differently? A better question, perhaps, would be, "What can we do to ensure our Airmen make better choices?"

There is no doubt those are tough questions to answer. Should we put more focus on and detail into our commander's call activities? Do we need more face-to-face interaction between front-line supervisors and their subordinates?

While those actions will certainly have an impact, I would offer that it is not the supervisor, leader, wingman or friend alone who will change this decision making process.

Ultimately, the choice is an individual one and the person faced with making that choice must be part of the solution.

With the right to choose, there is also an equally important and intertwined concept - responsibility. When we make a choice, we can't forget about the responsibility we take on for the outcome of that decision. There is no clearer example of this linkage between choices and responsibility than drinking and driving. When you get behind the wheel after drinking, you not only risk your own life but the lives of those around you.

Choices and associated responsibilities are not limited to responsible drinking. Chief Master Sgt. Ray Guest, 15th Munitions Squadron, helped me inducted 25 new NCOs this week, and during his comments, he emphasized the importance of doing your job right.

As we each set out to do that, we are also faced daily with choices. Do I reference my technical data every single time or only when someone is there watching what I do? Do I complete every step of the procedure or checklist, or do I take short cuts to save time? Again, with those choices come responsibility, including the responsibility for the safe, secure and reliable operation, security and maintenance of our Minuteman weapon system.

The bottom line is that choices, and the responsibilities that go along with those choices, are a part of our daily life, both on- and off-duty. There is also no doubt we'll have inputs as we prepare to make those choices, including those from supervisors, commanders and peers. How we go about making those choices is in large part an individual decision and to ensure success, we all need to make good, responsible choices.