The ultimate sacrifice

  • Published
  • By Maj. Darren Easton
  • 37th Helicopter Flight commander
F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. (AFPN) --  Over the course of time, and specifically since Sept. 11, 2001, many of our comrades have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, giving their very lives in the name of freedom. I salute each and every one of them and owe them my service to the same cause as a debt of gratitude.

Countless others, however, have given the same sacrifice, although in a different way. To paraphrase a passage in the Bible, it is good to die for a cause, but even more difficult to live for that cause.

When I swore my life to the Constitution of the United States of America, like all of us in uniform, I pondered the prospect of dying for it. Now, many years down the road, and many nights away from my wife and children, I realize what I really swore was to live for the Constitution, and if necessary, put myself in harm’s way for it.

The Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen who have made the ultimate sacrifice are not so different from thousands of patriots who live among us, sacrificing a few minutes or hours at a time for the cause of freedom. They give their lives freely, albeit incrementally, to operate, guard and maintain our Air Force, day in and day out, 24/7/365, for the same cause as those who stormed Baghdad to topple a tyrant whose reign threatened the stability of a region and possibly the globe.

The commanders who sent their troops into harm’s way in Iraq and Afghanistan, no doubt, spent many hours searching their souls to ensure they did not send their troops into harm’s way without due cause. They weighed the risks against the benefits to the specific mission, and with heavy hearts, gave their orders. Likewise, supervisors at all levels, from commanders to the first line Senior Airmen, let us consider carefully what we are asking of our Airmen before we compel them to sacrifice their lives, even if only a few minutes at a time.

Recently, in my unit, we planned a mission that got cancelled at the last minute. I overheard one of my Airmen say, “that’s an hour of my life I’ll never get back.” Sometimes, that’s simply the cost of doing the mission. Our challenge as supervisors at all levels, down to the Senior Airman in charge of other Airmen, is to evaluate the tasks we assign those in our charge in order to ensure the things we are asking of them work toward the goal of mission accomplishment.

Earlier in my career, I had a supervisor who was a great leader, an exemplary officer and a patriotic American. However, he had a habit of assigning the same project to two or three different officers at the same time. I might be working on a project, only to find after hours of effort that another officer in the unit was working on the same thing. It was discouraging to think the time away from my family was duplicating the efforts of others away from their families.

The lesson I learned from this, as a commander, is we must consider carefully the tasks we assign our Airmen and ask ourselves what the nation is gaining from the sacrifice we are demanding of our troops.

This is not to condemn any particular commander or policy, but rather to inspire all those in any position of leadership to think about the sacrifice they are asking of their Airmen, a few minutes at a time.

Every unit in the Air Force has both a direct mission requirement and the ancillary duties that support it.

Mission execution, esprit de corps, quality of life and base appearance all contribute to the mission.

The true question to ask is not, "How long?" any specific task takes, but rather, "Does it contribute to the mission?" Is the time well spent? When our Airmen get out of bed in the morning, do they know they are going to make a difference that day? Are they confident their sacrifices are essential, or are they just punching the clock? Are we asking them to do what is important, or are we wasting their time?

When I get a detail together to police around my unit for trash, the History Channel almost never sends a crew over to chronicle the sacrifice of the brave and valiant men and women of the 37th HS. However, those Airmen just gave ten minutes of their lives they will never get back, and I have to respect that. It is my job as their leader to ensure they know that even in the small details, their sacrifice is important.

What I am asking supervisors of all levels, from Senior Airman to general officers, is when they order their Airmen to execute any task, they remember they are asking for the ultimate sacrifice a few minutes and hours at a time.

Remember that while our Airmen may not be fighting in the streets of Baghdad, they nonetheless are sacrificing of their lives every day in service to their country. Let’s make it count!