Page 2 - Desert Lightning News, Nellis-Creech AFB Edition, Aug. 10 2018

2 August 10, 2018 www.aerotechnews.com/nellisafb
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How are you really doing?
by Col. (Dr.) Justin Nast
Travis AFB, Calif.
A couple of years ago, in the midst of a difficult divorce, I struggled to have a good day. I was not a commander at the time, but still embraced the tenet that leaders should not have a bad day in public.
I was attending a social, end-of-the- day function and hoping that my de- meanor and attitude were not reflecting how dismal I was truly feeling inside. I exchanged the usual pleasantries with other attendees until a senior leader who I really only knew as one of my patients asked me how I was doing. I thought for a moment and decided to tell the truth. I proceeded to tell him how difficult things had been and how some days it
was hard to put on a smile and delve into my job in a meaningful way.
It actually felt good to let it out and not too much to my surprise, he asked me to tell him more and thanked me for being honest with him about how I was truly feeling. That was all I needed and I noted he did ask enough questions to know that I did not appear to require more help.
As leaders at all levels, we can po- tentially be responsible for more than just our own bad day. The mood of the commander often sets the mood of the squadron. Leaders at all levels may rightfully be reluctant to reveal when they are having difficulties, however, this should not preclude being honest about your own personal situation. We all need to have a sense of security and
trust communicating to our leadership, especially regarding topics that can have an impact on our own well-being and performance. Likewise, we need to create the conditions for our subor- dinates to feel safe communicating to us in this way. No intervention might be needed other than simply listening, but if the message is never conveyed, we are unable to even make that de- termination.
As a physician, I am used to people sitting down with me and at least starting out knowing that something is troubling them, and I can listen and then ask questions to see if I can help. As a commander, it is not often that easy. I can try to create the type of environment within my organization that makes people comfortable telling
me what is troubling them. Just as many of the machines we work with on a daily basis have a built in self-check upon activation, we each perform our own self-check, but in a more continuous fashion. We must realize we might not check out at 100 percent every single day and none of us are immune to a bad day.
The anguish that I felt from the pain of divorce did not go away that day or for many days afterwards, but the impact of being able to be honest about how I was feeling has stayed with me. Many of the trials that we experience in life never fully leave us, but we recover and move on. The confidence in being able to express how we are really doing con- nects us to one another and allows for compassion to be expressed at times that we may need it the most.
Generations of time: The oath of enlistment
by Maj. Joseph Wilson
Travis AFB, Calif.
It doesn’t seem like that long ago, but rewinding the clock 18 years—in the hot, summer sun of 2000—I had joined hundreds of other Airmen on a parade field at what was then called Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.
On command, we collectively raised our right arms to the square and repeated what many Airmen had already, and would continue to, repeat for years to come: the oath of enlistment.
The gravity of the oath in that final moment of execution was more than palpable; its words became self-evident and meant infinitely more having just survived the crucible that was Basic Military Training and, as a result, earning the coveted title of Airman.
Since receiving my commission, it has been an honor to lead countless Airmen in the same oath as they personally recommit to continued service within the ranks of the world’s greatest Air Force. My most recent experience was on July 15, 2018, in the 55th Aerial Port Squadron where I was privileged to reenlist two outstanding Airmen. Every time this occurs, my mind’s eye returns to that seminal event on the parade field in Texas and generates a similar rush of feelings.
According to the U.S. Army Center of Military History, the oath was first utilized before our na- tion’s founding on “14 June 1775 as part of the act creating the Continental Army” and, after declaring independence from Great Britain, was “replaced by Section 3, Article 1, of the Articles of War approved by Congress on 20 September 1776.” It went through further iterations over more than 180 years, with our current oath of enlistment mandated on Oct. 5, 1962. Imagine the millions before us who have sworn this oath.
As many know, the oath which service members take varies slightly between the enlisted and officer ranks with the former taking an oath of enlistment and the latter taking an oath of office.
That said, both oaths require us to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic” and “bear true faith and allegiance to the same.”
Through these words, we jointly commit to some- thing bigger than ourselves, and by doing so, remain faithful to a proud heritage spanning generations of time.
My invitation is simple: The next time you hear, recite or lead one of our Airmen in the oath of en- listment, consider this counsel from the Air Force’s
Profession of Arms Center of Excellence: “Our oath is more than a formality that adds flair to a com- missioning or promotion ceremony. It provides the foundation of our military.”
To be clear, the oath is part of our tradition of honor and our legacy of valor. Please live it every day as you continue to serve wherever duty calls.
Desert Lightning News Staff
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