Proud to serve the best

  • Published
  • By Capt. Sara Connor
  • 90th Operations Group
F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. --  A few months ago, I decided to get out of the office and take a break. I went off base to get some lunch, when a man approached me. He held out his hand to shake mine and said, "I just want to thank you for your military service."

Shocked, I said, "You're welcome."

The man's gesture made me think about my job and the military. I found myself guilty of taking my job for granted.

I think we're all guilty of this. We get so wrapped up in our daily routine of paperwork, deadlines and hot suspenses that we lose sight of what being in the military really means.

Every day when we put on our uniforms, we're defending our nation. All the routine things we do that seem so simple mean so much.

We're not in the middle of a war like so many faced before us, but we're still doing our part to keep our country free. That's something to be proud of. No matter if you stay in the Air Force for four or 20 years, you're contributing to something larger than you are.

Take a second to think about the overall impact you have on this country. How many other careers can you think of where people are on duty all day, every day, ready to deploy at a moment's notice to wherever they're needed? Where they're ready to give their lives for a nation's freedom?

You probably won't hear too many thank yous, but what matters is that you know in your heart the impact you have every single day. Whether you are a chef preparing meals at a missile alert facility, a personnel troop diligently working on a decoration, a security forces member completing a launch facility check, a missileer monitoring missiles or a pilot providing aerial observation for a convoy, be proud you're part of a great team.

Show your pride daily in everything you do. After all, there are 280 million people depending on you to do your job right the first time, every time.