Air Force chief of staff visits Osan

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Terri Barriere
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea (AFNS) --  The common themes of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz's remarks to more than 400 Airmen gathered here May 11 were teamwork and excellence, key elements in mission accomplishment as well as in Airmen's personal lives.

The general also reminded the crowd that all Airmen are a part of the same family and no job is any more important than another.

"We are all proud of what we do and how we do it," he said. "The Air Force does many important missions and we don't succeed as a team unless we all do our jobs. Everybody matters."

The general said everyone has to "rock and roll" together if they are to perform at the level the country expects of them.

Though General Schwartz noted Air Force officials need innovative thinking and imagination, he said there are some things that are done where it's important to just do them right.

"Sometimes the Air Force way is the only way," he said. "Precision, reliability and compliance with standards are necessary for day-to-day activities. In the end, it's not good intentions but performance that matters."

The general said performance also is important for retaining the trust of the American people.

"If the American people lose faith in the Air Force, they have no alternative. The fundamental fact that we're 'IT' brings with it a special obligation to do our business well and right, and in a way that maintains the respect of those we serve. It is demanding and requires sacrifice, but it's worth it."

While the chief of staff did not talk in great detail about the recently published budget decisions, he did focus instead on how it will affect the bottom line: the people.

"None of this is pain free," he said. "There would be no difficult decisions if there was an infinite amount of money; however, the country is in a position to have to make decisions. One thing everyone agrees on is we are no longer going to squeeze to make do with resources on the backs of our people. People have the first priority. We will squeeze in other areas."

But resources and duty performance were not all that was on the general's mind. He also encouraged Airmen to remember to have fun as a family. He said part of being in the Air Force and being a member of a family means being able to have fun.

"We have serious work to do, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't have a bit of fun along the way. We definitely need to achieve a balance."

The general noted what a privilege it is to serve as the chief of staff.

"You expect I will work my butt off, and I will," he said. "In fact, you expect both I and Chief Roy (the newly appointed chief master sergeant of the Air Force) will work our butts off, and we will. You expect us to represent you well, and we will. All we need you to do is perform. If we do that, everything else takes care of itself.

"If we do that, our joint teammates will become our champions because they will respect and honor our work. The key thing for all of us to remember is consistent level of performance. We do that, we'll blow people's socks down!"

The general also encouraged the Osan team to continue on.

"Keep doing it, Osan ... and remember to have a little fun along the way," he said.