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2 November 2017 Desert Lightning News
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C O M M E N TA R Y by Lt. Col. punt from our own 20-yard line or our ence. The entire playbook should be and Win. To be sure, the intrepid play
NELSON ROULEAU opponent’s 10-yard line. Can you imag- discarded and started anew. It’s time may not execute exactly as planned.
ine the embarrassment and the force- to rewrite bold new strategies that are Don’t worry. With trust and intent, in-
12th Airborne Command and Control Squadron shaping board that awaits the Airman driven not by fear of failure, but by a stead of running a post route, Airmen
who misses a 27-yard field goal? I can. tenacious will to win. may read the defense at the line of
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. — scrimmage and have the conviction to
Our collective failure to lead boldly and The Air Force’s playbook lacks risk. As On fourth-and-one, encourage ev- take a risk and run a fly pattern.
teach others to do the same has led us a result, the playbook has been stripped ery Airman, fast or slow, tall or short,
toward the end of our runway. of any real value. It’s electronically great hands or stone hands, to go deep Leadership expert, Simon Sinek
tossed through the bureaucratic chain and look for the ball in the end zone. recognized that trust is, “Critical for
Airmen are watching of command until it lays absent of ideas Demand your quarterback throw the humans because when trusts exists,
Young military leaders vicariously that dare to challenge the status quo. ball deep. we dare to take risks, experiment and
learn the easiest path to promotion is The book is written not to lose. explore because we know that somebody
through conservative decisions, and a The focus of this commentary is to ask is watching our back.â€
single mistake may cost a career. Williamson Murray correctly pointed every squadron commander to author
In light of these realities, too many out that, “The problem lies in the fact and approve new and audacious fourth- In essence, Sinek was describing our
NCOs and company-grade officers are that these so-called strategic docu- and-one options. organic wingman culture.
frightened to fail. For far too long, NCOs ments are the products of bureaucratic
and CGOs witnessed those who swerved processes that aim to remove every It examines how adding the long Trust is paramount
slightly off their path risk career-ending contentious issue.†ball to the fourth and short playbook As squadron commanders, our high-
consequences. inspires trust and confidence in Air- est obligation is to be that wingman.
The flight path to success is clear -- Going even further in his analysis of men, and it asserts that the bold play on Trust and confidence is paramount to
no mistakes. The easiest way to avoid a these type of documents, Murray posited fourth down values failure as a learning winning, as is the willingness to fail
misstep is to bypass high-risk decisions that they’re “written by large groups of opportunity. and learn.
and to avoid unpredictable outcomes. the unimaginative; they are passed up Throwing long on a fourth down rec-
Unsurprisingly, much like a football the chain of command to insure there Having the audacity to plan and ex- ognizes failure as a teachable moment
game, in a fourth down and one-yard to is nothing daring or controversial that ecute a 50-yard throw on fourth and one and establishes a command culture
gain situation, the proverbial Air Force might upset the conventional wisdom instills confidence and demonstrates the that values learning. Airmen will not
playbook has only one strategy, punt with its comfortable assumptions about value of calculated risk. Most impor- fly every mission perfectly; Airmen will
the football. the future.†tantly, Airmen will recognize genuine not catch every ball. Undoubtedly, we
Sadly, we routinely punt on fourth- trust and will understand the end state disappoint from time-to-time. If we don’t
and-one regardless of field position. We Time to rewrite strategies is to win. practice throwing the long ball in peace-
Our strategy is designed not to win,
but to avoid failure. There is a differ- When trust and intent are unmistak- See Force, Page 15
ably established, Airmen will Fly, Fight,
Three pounds, 11 ounces of resiliency
by Senior Airman to a regular crib on day 18. We were able to breastfeed, successfully, on day 20.
Her month-long stay began to look shorter and shorter. She was impressing every
SHELBY HORN doctor and nurse, and we were all so proud of her.
349th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs She was discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit at 30 days old, the
day before her one-month birthday. The doctors assured us we were not in the
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. — As military members we are inundated clear yet. She was still going to need eye exams, have development delays, and
with training and speeches about resiliency. We hear it so often that it can get have issues putting on weight … and then she didn’t.
dull and become just another checked box on your records, until the message gets
personally delivered in a place you’d never expect. Every single issue the doctors told us she would face, she has beaten. Sadie is
10 months old now, and is on par with babies her age. She is chunky, happy, and
In 2016 my husband and I found out I was pregnant with our second child, and healthy; and she completed our family just as we knew she would.
we were ecstatic. We had just bought our first home and the age gap between our
first and second child would be three years, our “ideal†age gap. It was another It’s important to know that Sadie’s improvements didn’t happen overnight. It
girl, which is exactly what we wanted. We decided to name her Sadie Jean, after was a slow process. We went day by day. We celebrated every milestone, which
my husband’s grandma. We were so excited for her to complete our family. We were as small as ounces gained or as big as IV lines being removed. When some-
anxiously awaited her arrival, which was estimated as December 29. thing came up that pushed us backward, we reassessed and reattacked. I look at
my daughter and all that she was up against - the odds were certainly not in her
The pregnancy progressed smoothly, she was growing beautifully, and everything favor, yet that tiny, 3-pound premature baby tackled every one of them.
was going great -- until it wasn’t.
Sadie had the help and support of trained doctors, nurses, developmental
Sadie Jean was born Oct. 21, 2016, a full 10 weeks before her due date. I was therapists and more. Being an infant, she wasn’t able to ask for help. Others saw
diagnosed with a placental abruption. There were no signs or symptoms. From her issues and helped her overcome them. She couldn’t have progressed the way
the beginning of labor to birth was a mere three hours. She was 3 pounds, 11 she did without the help of others, and I dread to think of where she would be if
ounces and 17 inches long. she hadn’t received that help.
She was a few hours old when I first saw her, with an oxygen mask taped to So why should I expect myself, or anyone else for that matter, to handle life’s
her face, and wires, tubes, needle pricks, and bruises on seemingly every visible challenges and obstacles, whether physical, emotional or mental on their own?
body part. She was 3 days old when I first held her, for 30 minutes, with alarms When we see someone struggling, why should we leave them to struggle alone?
going off and nurses watching my every move. We have resources available to help us, such as family and friends, coworkers and
supervisors, Military One Source, and airman and family readiness, to name a few.
It was devastating the first time we sat with her neonatal intensive care unit
doctor and learned the prognosis. She was going to have issues with her lungs No one should ever feel alone when going through a difficult period in his or
and eyes. She would be developmentally delayed until preschool age, and need her life, no matter what it may be. We should never look down on someone who
heavy physical therapy; she would never be able to breastfeed. Her hospital stay needs help or fear being looked down upon when we ask for help. People should
would be, at the very least, seven to eight weeks. My husband and I went home also realize the situation most likely will require more than just a quick fix.
that night completely defeated.
Sadie had many setbacks during her time in the NICU, even with her team
The first few days of her stay were the hardest. My tiny baby’s progress would of helpers, and she may have more as she gets older - and that’s okay. We will
make one step forward and then two steps back. We believed the doctors were continue to monitor her health as she grows, and if something comes up in the
right when they told us what to expect. We prepared ourselves for months in the future, we will get her the help she needs.
NICU, and then Sadie proved everyone wrong.
Although her recovery wasn’t quick, and may still be ongoing, Sadie has shown
It started with the removal of her oxygen, which happened at day eight. Next she is resilient. Her resiliency has taught me more than she will ever know.Thanks
came the removal of her IV lines on day 14. She was tolerating her feeds, and we to her, I will always strive to be the best I can be -- for her, my family and myself.
cheered over every ounce gained. She was taken out of her incubator and moved If a 3-pound infant can overcome, then I can overcome, and so can you.