To Serve

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Thank you for that kind introduction. It is a real pleasure and honor to attend this symposium amongst a very distinguished group of speakers from a wide range of disciplines. To the organizers of the National Character & Leadership Symposium, the Center for Character Development, and the United States Air Force Academy, and all of the experts, academics, and institutions that supported this effort, thank you. This is a superb opportunity to discuss character and leadership, perhaps the most vital traits and skills we seek to impart and embed within our officer and NCO corps.

True character often becomes apparent in the face of adversity. Just like the generations before us, our nation faces adversity in a number of forms as we meet here today. Most pressing, our armed forces are challenged by two ongoing wars in a dangerous region against determined adversaries. And we do so in a time when our country has been facing its most significant economic crisis since the Great Depression. Indeed, this is a time for leadership, and this is a time for character. These traits are vital to public service, and especially to military service.

Today I would like to discuss the concept of service, which might be defined as "dedication and sacrifice by a few, to preserve a way of life for many." Why do we do this? What are we serving? For whom are we doing this? Does it matter how we serve? How long must we do this?

And as we explore these issues we should be forewarned. As Benjamin Franklin once quipped: "The first mistake in public business is the going into it." Public service is not easy. It is continually buffeted not only by political winds, but by real internal tensions within our Constitution. Democracy, as Franklin noted, is "an invitation to struggle."

Why Do We Serve?

So, why do we serve? Well, we cannot really understand WHY we serve without examining in more detail, WHAT we serve. As Socrates figured out a long time ago, "we must value most, not living, but living well." Americans may understand this more than most. This country was formed by peoples in search of a way of life worth living; one best characterized by the words liberty and freedom. Jefferson's formulation of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" has long served as a touchstone for these enduring principles and ideals.

It has been refined along the way, from our Bill of Rights to Franklin Roosevelt's 1941 summary of the "Four Freedoms": freedom of speech and expression; freedom of every person to worship in his own way; freedom from want; and freedom from fear. Rights and freedoms recognized not just within the United States but recognized by many as universal and timeless; but yet in some places as still too revolutionary.

What Do We Serve?

What is it that we serve? We serve these principles and ideals as enshrined in our Constitution. The ultimate purpose or end of our service is captured in our Oath of Office. We solemnly swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, because we find defending the Constitution more important than defending America itself, for America would not exist in our true nature without it.

Why do we serve? We serve because we have something very special to defend, something supremely worthy of our service; not just in defense of American lives, but an American way of life, a life worth living.

Who Do We Serve?

Another way to measure the value of service is by the scope of its impact, by examining who we serve. There may be no higher calling than defending the U.S. Constitution, and the American people. Abraham Lincoln called the U.S. Constitution, "the bond of service," making him a servant of the people, and therefore responsible to them. Over 300 million Americans enjoy life under the guarantee of liberty provided by this document. Military service is a essential element of national security and national security is a public good that equally benefits all Americans.

Beginning in 1996, the Air Force began collecting data at Basic Military Training to determine why recruits enlist. Given 17 reasons from which to choose, recruits consistently select "to serve my country" amongst their top three reasons to enlist. And, whether it is the top, second or third-ranked reason appears to depend on the needs of the nation at the time. It was the number one reason for several years following 9-11. Less empirical, but certainly as convincing, are my visits to combat zones. I did so earlier this month, and was, as always, impressed by the spirit of our Airmen, young and old. Their clarity of purpose and ethic of service could not be more evident.

And it is not just who they serve that makes it so valuable to us, it is how they serve us.

How We Serve

When Franklin mused about public service, he neglected to mention that Military service is even more difficult. It involves personal and family hardships, deep commitment to mission and risk to life and limb. Particularly in battle, it is imperative that we can, without any doubt, count on the man or woman in the back seat, maintaining equipment on the flightline, flying communications satellites, arming weapons and performing countless other vital tasks, to serve reliably and consistently, with true discipline in their work.

How we serve matters, for our teammates, for our joint and coalition partners, and for the ultimate success of our assigned missions. To paraphrase Lord Nelson: America expects that every Airman will do his or her duty.

America's military, and especially our Air Force has a rich tradition of upholding the highest standards of service. We must uphold them. Our men and women are trusted with weapons of unfathomable destructive power. And in this business of national security, at every level, the cost of even small errors may be the loss of life.

These standards are captured in our Core Values: Integrity first, Service before self, and Excellence in all we do. These enduring values serve as our anchor and their adoption by one and all binds us together. Our Core Values define the character of our Air Force just as freedom defines America. The character of our service, regardless of why or what we serve, is diminished if these core values are compromised.

These are values by which to live a life, and perhaps there is no more important time to live by them than now, when our nation, and the world, calls on us to serve.

When Do We Serve?

Military service is different from other forms of public service. We serve 24-hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year, year upon year. Standards are high and in our commitment to service and to our chain of command, we often deny ourselves the freedom to 'opt out' or take a pass, the freedom to say "No, thank you."

In times of peace, we work hard and serve as a strong deterrent to conflict and put our skills to work in humanitarian operations. And, when deterrence fails, we are asked to difficult things: to overcome fear and danger, to serve in locations and on timelines about which we have little say. Such is service in the military.

And, for how long must we do this? In less than 100 days, some of you will be commissioned as second lieutenants and will step into history, taking your place as links in an unbroken chain of service, among generation after generation of Americans since the founding of this republic and the birth of powered flight, who have stepped forward to wear the nation's cloth. Others will come after you, and more still, as long as necessary, as the founder's put it, "to preserve the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity."

Conclusion

I believe that we serve because our service has a noble purpose: the preservation of our Constitution and an American way of life. We serve because the nation, our American ideals and the people we serve are worth all the dedication and sacrifice required for their defense, worth everything we have as individuals to give even life itself. We serve because we know that, in the grand sweep of history, the American experiment is unfinished and its long term success in a dynamic global environment cannot be taken for granted.

How we serve does matter. The strength of commitment to our core values and to the highest standards set us apart; our scrupulous devotion to developing leaders of character and integrity; and the depth of your personal dedication and sacrifice, especially over the past ten years, has made the military among the Nation's most highly respected institutions.

We serve because it's our responsibility to pass safely along to the next generation the heritage and the opportunities, and yes even the military capabilities, that were passed from the previous generation to us; and because, in the world we live in, no one will do this for us. These things, perhaps, help define the meaning of service. They explain, perhaps, how we were named "the armed services".

Development of character and leadership are indeed important preparation for public service in general. They are vital preparation for service in the military. This symposium is invaluable to that end, as is the Air Force Academy's Center for Character and Leadership Development, and the Academy itself. They have brought together expertise from multiple disciplines, many 'American heroes' from all walks of life, to discuss subjects and personal experiences that are more than worthy of our reflection.

My personal thanks, along with those of our chief of staff, Gen. Norton Schwartz, to the guest speakers for supporting this event, for helping to educate and nurture our cadets and for all that you contribute to America's Air Force, our sister services, all our military and their families. We deeply appreciate your support; and as you can see from the quality of our cadets, this investment in America's future is well worth all our time.

Thank you, General Gould, for inviting me to be a part of this event. It is indeed an honor for me to serve, yes, to serve, with you in the world's finest Air Force.