I'm here to serve

  • Published
  • By Maj. George Mitchell
  • 22nd Logistics Group
I needed a job, and I was thinking about enlisting.

My father, a retired Navy chief, recommended the Air Force. He's never said if he was looking out for me or the Navy. He also talked about it not being a regular job, the importance of country, the significance of duty, sacrifice and honor, living with a purpose and the seriousness of weapons, etc. It was over my head at the time, but I've gained an understanding of those words.

I got to basic training and enjoyed the many exercises in futility you endure that first night. Sometime the following morning I opened my eyes to see a very large man in a Smokey-the-Bear hat leaning over me asking if I planned on getting out of bed that day. I looked around at 49 other guys looking equally incoherent, but at least they were vertical, and wondered, "Who is he and why am I here?" That "duty" word my father had used came back to me. I don't think I understood it, but keeping it in the front of my mind allowed me to do some things I may not have otherwise accomplished.

Then I got settled into my first duty station. I needed a job and now I had one. We worked long hours and, like many people who don't know why they're in the military, I became disenchanted and figured I'd do four years and get back to the real world. There are many good reasons for coming into the military. I joined for a paycheck. Some people come in for an education, others to travel and a number of other reasons. However, those reasons don't suffice when it comes down to the challenges we face daily in service to our country.

We were recalled dark and early one morning to hear that the U.S. embassy, in a country I couldn't have found on a map, had been taken. The hours became longer and days off became less frequent, but that "duty" word my father had used came back. It made a little more sense this time, but I was still grasping.

Later we got word of the Desert One accident and that "sacrifice" word started to take shape. I was working harder than I had ever worked in my life and loved every sleepless minute of it. I still didn't understand all the words, but I was starting to understand the importance of "service" and understood that I was here to serve.

Years later, one country invades another country I hadn't heard of. I again found myself asking, "Why am I here?" This time my problem with "here" was being in a tech school and not out in the "real Air Force," where every day you have the opportunity to make a difference. Where every day I'm allowed to serve. I now understood that this is in fact an honor.

A couple of years ago I was part of an exchange program with an Allied Air Force. It was a challenge to be productive in an unfamiliar environment, and it was frustrating. But whenever I had a reason to visit the U.S. Embassy, I could feel exhausted and confused, but when I walked through the embassy gate and saw the flag, I was home.

It was an amazing feeling.

One day I was walking through town in uniform when a man called to me by my rank. I stopped and he told me about his experiences working with the U.S. military during World War II. He didn't speak English, so it took several attempts to communicate, but he told me how much he had enjoyed working with the Americans and how much he respected our nation. He saluted, I saluted, and we each went on our way. He reminded me why I was there. I was there to serve my country and its Allies, whether procuring parts for airplanes, or helping an old man remember who Americans are.

On Sept. 11, I, like many others, stood in front of a television and watched as sacrifice was again explained in very understandable terms. These days I don't often wonder why I'm here.

After 23 years in uniform I still can't define what my father's words meant, but I understand. Everyone in uniform came in for his or her reasons, but the only real reason to be here is to serve. To serve your God, your country, and other people, but always to serve.

Why am I here? I'm here to serve. (Courtesy Air Mobility Command News Service)