Page 2 - March ARB Beacon 4-29-16

2 April 29, 2016
BEACON
THE
Volume 81, Number 17
452 AMW Public Affairs
14560 2nd Street, Bldg. 2640
March ARB, CA 92518-1852
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phone: 951-655-4138
COMMANDER
Brig. Gen. Russell A. Muncy
CHIEF OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Capt. Perry Covington
CHIEF OF OPERATIONS
Ms. Linda Welz
BEACON EDITOR
Mr. Sean Dath
452 AMW EDITORIAL STAFF
Master Sgt. Megan Crusher
Staff Sgt. Heather Cozad Staley
Staff Sgt. Osmin Suguitan
Senior Airman Kevin Mitterholzer
Senior Airman Joseph Dangidang
Senior Airman Russell McMillan
The Beacon is published by
Aerotech News and Review. Aero-
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The ‘Dirty Dozen’: What it means to
serve as an Air Force Reservist
by Carolyn Herrick
943rd Rescue Group public affairs
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE
BASE, Ariz. -- When I was the spouse of
a Reservist (which was the better part of
my five years of marriage), I didn’t get
it. My husband would work his normal
work week, then square away his uniform
on Friday night for drill on Saturday and
Sunday. Come Monday morning, he was
back at work, and I had no concept of the
toll it took - until I became a Reservist
with a full-time job, too. They call it the to leave when they are on orders and hold what part-time military servicemembers
“Dirty Dozen” here: 12 days in a row
where you set your alarm for 5 a.m. to
be at work by 6:30 or 7 a.m. Twelve days
in a row where your spouse has to pack
the kids up for church alone on a Sunday,
or - if you’re both Reservists - you have
to find a babysitter Saturday and Sunday.
Twelve days in a row that your kids are
in daycare or with a sitter. Twelve days
in a row where date nights don’t exist be-
Don’t Give Up on Your Dreams!
Several weeks ago during spring
break our family loaded up the SUV
and took off from Arizona to make the
great American pilgrimage to Disney-
land. While it was packed with people
from all corners of the globe, every-
one seemed to share a common sense
of wonder at this magical place that,
as Walt Disney said, “all started with
a mouse.” But the truth is, it started
with a dream. In How to be Like Walt,
Pat Williams chronicles a conversation
that occurred in 1971, five years after
Walt’s death, right as Disney World
opened in Florida. He writes, “Some-
one commented to Mike Vance, cre-
ative director of Walt Disney Studios,
‘Isn’t it too bad Walt Disney didn’t live
to see this?’ ‘He did see it,’ Vance re-
plied simply. ‘That’s why it’s here.’”
That is the power of vision. It is em-
bracing a dream and staying the course
even when times get hard, boring, con-
fusing, and discouraging. What is now
the Disney empire came about only
because of an unyielding belief that
the dream could actually happen, and
there would be no giving up until it
did! Warren Bennis writes in Organiz-
www.aerotechnews.com/marcharb
facebook.com/TeamMarch
COMMENTARY
cause those precious hours from 6 p.m.
when you get home till the time you roll
into bed are spent going through mail,
cleaning the house and doing laundry.
For those who are geographically sepa-
rated from their military unit, it also
means two travel days, or working a full
day Friday and then driving several hours serve. This is the sacrifice we all signed
to get to the unit’s lodging facility in
time to shower and crash for a few hours. took the oath. When someone thanks me
Employers who honor their Reservists’
duties are extra special. Although it’s a my pleasure.” And it is. But I didn’t get it
federal requirement to allow Reservists
their job for them, some employers find
ways to make it as difficult as possible;
others accommodate with alternative
work locations, work-from-home op-
tions, or even “stay available by phone”
or “check email” and they’re good to go.
During the rest of the month, part-time
military service means Reservists have
to stay physically fit. They abstain from
CHAPLAINS CORNER
ing Genius that Walt Disney was un-
daunted by obstacles largely because
he was relentlessly optimistic. In fact,
according to Bennis, “success is often
rooted in optimism that may or may
not be warranted by the facts.”
Sadly, however, it is incredibly easy
to start questioning our dreams at the
first setback or disappointment. Also,
because we are by nature people who
want everything now, we end up set-
ting unrealistic expectations about
when we will succeed.
But one of the axioms of life, which
is so easily lost in our disposable cul-
ture, is that to produce anything of val- your military career. While things
ue in life takes time, and usually much
more time than we assume at the out-
set. Sure, there are those out there who
seem to rocket into the stratosphere
faster than anyone could have predict-
ed. But in reality those stories are ex-
tremely rare. For most people, the road
to success is really not all that sexy.
It consists of many years dedicated to
the same task, keeping the ship mov-
ing in the same direction despite the
violent waves, gale force winds, and
naysayers who love to predict disaster.
But the really encouraging part
is those who do endure have a very
activities some civilians enjoy. What they
do off-duty, they know, can affect their
entire military career. Prior to the repeal
of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” those who
were in partnerships with members of the
same sex had to stay “in the closet” 28
days a month for the sake of the two they
up for when we raised our right hand and
for my service, I say - genuinely - “it’s
until I experienced it. I took for granted
do day in and day out and especially dur-
ing the “Dirty Dozen.” Don’t take for
granted what your Guard and Reserve
friends and family do when they serve.
They’re not “weekend warriors” - they’re
part of a force that’s ready to activate any
time active duty needs a hand. They’re
some of the finest people and finest
Americans I know.
high likelihood of succeeding. There’s
nothing really all that magical about
it, except the will to stay the course.
This even has implications in one’s
spiritual life. For example, in the Bible
it says, “Let us not become weary in
doing good, for at the proper time we
will reap a harvest if we do not give
up.” (Galatians 6:9) In other words,
there seems to be built into the system
of life a reward for those who stay at it
day by day.
Perhaps there’s something in your
life right now that you’re ready to quit.
It could be a new business, the pursuit
of a degree, a marriage, or maybe even
might look bleak at the moment, you
just may be in the middle of one of
those “defining moments” that you
must get through in order to succeed.
Plowing through the next project,
quarter, counseling session, (or even
UTA!) might be what makes all the
difference in the world.
I’m glad Walt never gave up on the
vision that he had. Our family (along
with ten million other families) was
able to have an amazing time in the
world he created. So don’t you give
up!