Core values not cliché, but a way of life

  • Published
  • By Col. Brian E. Kistner
  • 376th Expeditionary Mission Support Group commander
MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyz Republic (AFPN) --  Most of us encounter situations in life we do not always agree with. Positive results can stem from how we respond to these situations. All of us in the Armed Forces have a sacred duty to adhere to the highest standards of military conduct. We have a wide range of choices; from turning a blind eye and doing nothing to confronting situations head on and ensuring we adhere to standards.

Whatever the case, rules and standards must be adhered to at all costs. They form the backbone for our acceptable way of life. Just about everywhere you look, there are rules and standards to be followed to effectively meet an end.

In the military, and the Air Force in particular, without standards we become just another segment of society versus the most trusted segment of society.

Without our high standards, we would, not be able to prosecute the nation’s wars.

To help avoid confusion, the Air Force adopted three core values that spell out what we are all about: integrity first, excellence in all we do and service before self. These values are not cliché; they are the basic common values that enable people in the United States Air Force to perform the mission.

Of these values, integrity must be first, for without integrity we have nothing. We must always strive to do the right things for the right reasons. We must all know we can trust the person to the right and to the left of us to be forthright and to watch our back in a fight.

Our countrymen have put a great deal of faith in us to take the moral high ground when defending our country. We are called on to fight and win the wars that guarantee our freedoms.

As an armed force, Americans require much from us and we must be prepared to deliver. We have to give our personal best and be cognizant of how we conduct ourselves.

Adherence to standards does not require a super human effort that does not allow for mistakes. Rather, adherence requires an honest straightforward approach and the best effort we can put forward.

Doing the right things for the right reasons means simply, when presented with a tough decision, confronting the situation head on and doing what is right even when it is uncomfortable.

When faced with misbehavior by a subordinate, for example, it might be easier to turn a blind eye and do nothing vs. administering the tough justice our profession requires.

This situation quickly becomes an integrity issue and one that has far reaching implications. When the chips are down, people will fail to do what is right if we do not hold them to this same standard in performing their daily duties. When we fail to do the right thing, the repercussions are far reaching because in the profession of arms we all potentially may be faced with life and death decisions.

If we allow complacency and inaction to erode the fabric of our military through the lack of adherence to standards and our core values, then we threaten the very existence of the institution we hold so dear and the rest of the Nation relies upon so heavily to fight and win wars.

Standards and core values aren’t cliché. They are what set us apart from the rest of society and what make us the best most trusted air and space force in the world.