Sister wing launches Airman 24/7 campaign

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Tammy S.S. Elliott
  • 90th Missile Wing command chief
F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. --  Our sister wing, the 341st Missile Wing, at Malmstrom AFB, Mont., is going full force in a locally developed campaign called "Airman 24/7."

The wing leadership was very concerned about the off-duty choices and behavior of a number of their Airmen; this media campaign is a reminder of their commitment around the clock. This is a reminder that in or out of uniform, Airmen are still Airmen, and all standards of behavior and conduct still apply.

What should this mean to you? It means that your commitment when you enlisted or were commissioned is one that encompasses your entire life until the last minute of the hour of the last day of your contract.

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, you are an Airman. You agreed to this, which means you don't have the option to leave your core values at the gate when you leave the base.

When you shed your ABUs and don your jeans, it's easy to throw mental switches with the change of clothes. You see a non-GI in the mirror and the folks off base probably don't know you're an Airman, so why should it matter? Let's start with integrity -- you know, that thing that makes you do the right thing no matter who is watching? You know you're an Airman; you know you are a cut above and are held to a higher standard.
It doesn't matter if anyone around you knows that because the knowledge and responsibility are square on your shoulders. Remember that when you are in a bar and see someone about to make the biggest mistake of their life -- and by the way, it doesn't matter whether that other person is an Airman or not. The moment they get behind a wheel, they are a threat to everyone out there. Isn't it also our duty to defend our nation?

Do you believe that standing by and not stepping in to prevent harm would classify as excellence in all you do? I don't. Your commitment is 24/7; therefore, your integrity and excellence are on the clock too.

One of my favorites is an Airman who thinks that working on a weekend or holiday is over time or excessive. Really? My brain tells me that total commitment, every minute, leaves no real room for personal interpretation. That other core value, service before self, says it all. Of course I don't advocate the extreme over working of our Airmen on the mission every waking hour, under normal circumstances. However, in a wartime environment, or if the mission requires this, that becomes the standard until another alternative is available.

That's not abuse; that's our commitment. And by the way, next time any Airman out there feels like we are expecting too much, let's get of our forward deployed folks on the phone who has worked 95 days straight, without question, while in harm's way. That's what I call perspective. It's called duty.

The vast majority of our Airmen get this. They remember that the only thing they hang up at the end of their day is their uniform. Unfortunately, the few that don't get it, bring us all down.

As Col. Greg Tims, 90th Missile Wing commander, says, "those few acts put cracks in our excellence as a wing."

Airman, 24/7; thanks to the 341st MW for an excellent message we would all do well to remember.