Your voice is Air Force's most credible source

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Gregg Bottemiller
  • Air University Public Affairs
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. (AFPN) --  I'm in a quandary every day of my Air Force career.

As an Air Force communicator, I focus on telling the Air Force story and how vitally 'we are in the fight.' The U.S. Air Force has a great story to tell; we save lives and positively impact others daily. 

Despite some of the valleys we face in our careers like frequent moves or long deployments away from family, what we do every day is worthy, honorable and just plain great. 

Serving our nation today means not only protecting America's homeland, but also providing a future for people who otherwise would have no positive future in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. Airmen, along with our sister services and coalition partners, do this every day.

I'm currently reading a book, "It's How You Play the Game," by FOX News personality Brian Kilmeade who visited Maxwell in May. The book comprises vignettes of how famous people -- not just athletes -- but also politicians, military and industry leaders, used the lessons of sports to guide them to success, even if sports is not where they chose to succeed. As I'm reading this book, I'm thinking, 'This is every Airman's story.'

Most every day, I hear a story by or about one of our Airmen that says, "I'm someone special, not because I've necessarily claimed some level of fame, but because I've uniquely contributed to doing great things." 

I heard a story about two native Russians who recently received their commissions in the Air Force to become Air Force dentists, and one about a senior Airman Reserve air crew member who, when deployed, was working on her health care profession certification, and another about a captain deployed with a provincial reconstruction team who recognized what a tough job it was, and at the same time, how satisfying it was.

So, here's my quandary. Just like most of our Air Force career fields, public affairs has taken its fair share of manpower hits, and we need to work on how to optimize our effectiveness in completing the mission.

That's where you come in. 

Every single Airman -- enlisted, officer, civilian, active duty, guard, reserve, contractor -- has a story to tell. And because "you've been there, done that," your story resonates credibility to any audience you address, whether that's a local newspaper, national televised news program, one-on-one with civic leaders, or just talking to your family and friends back home. 

So, the Air Force needs you to champion the Air Force story about your job and experiences, at home and abroad.

When I deployed last summer to the Combined Air and Space Operations Center in Southwest Asia, we hosted a group of our country's most influential industry leaders, and because it was a joint-service venue, all the services showed off their latest and coolest technologies, from ground to sea to air hardware. But in talking to the industry leaders, the portion of the trip they enjoyed the most was talking to the troops and getting to understand their personal stories and sacrifices.

So, how do you focus your message? The first slide I present at my weekly staff meeting has two focused portions. The first is the chief of staff of the Air Force's top three priorities; fighting and winning the war on terrorism, developing and caring for Airmen, and recapitalizing the force. The second is my boss' top three priorities. 

I know if I focus, and I ask my people to focus on these two things, we will head in the right direction. In the operational world, that's called "commander's intent." So, tell your story based on your experiences but coupled with the Air Force's and your unit's mission in mind.

In addition to sharing your story with internal and external audiences, it's important that you communicate how and where you are doing your communicating to your chain of command. Why? It is all of our responsibilities to support Air Force communication objectives, and the best way for commanders to gauge what's being communicated, and where, is through your feedback. 

Tell your commander or public affairs office that you addressed a local rotary club, a class of 10th graders or local AFROTC cadets, so your unit's leaders can gauge their unit's weight of effort and areas of focus. Because realistically, we should be communicating the Air Force mission in every community in the America, many of which you may be the only contact they have with the Air Force and the vital mission we do.

Everyone is supposed to be safety-focused to protect his or her wingman, and everyone is supposed to be operations security-focused to protect our freedom of action.

Also, each and every one of us should be communication-focused to project the Air Force's vital role in fighting the war on terrorism and to solidify America's image of the Air Force for the future.

You are your Air Force's voice; speak it loud and clear.

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