If you’re that Airman who pretends to be looking the other way, or even crosses the street, to avoid saluting, I want you to look deep within yourself.
It concerns me that I have noticed a small, but unfortunately visible group who stand apart from the overwhelming majority of USAFE Airmen who willingly and proudly respect military customs and courtesies.
If you are among those who fail to render a salute while exiting the post office because you are too engrossed in a letter from home, you haven’t simply avoided a proper and courteous greeting. You’ve made a deliberate decision to disregard a critical aspect of our military heritage that has evolved as a result of the need for order, mutual respect and discipline.
Adhering to acts of customs and courtesies is not an option, regardless of rank or position. The same rules of obedience and discipline apply just as they do for a maintainer following technical orders required to repair a jet engine. We can’t cherry pick when to salute the staff car of a general officer anymore than that maintainer can decide which TOs he or she feels like following each day.
The failure to tighten a bolt properly or to disregard the urgency of replacing a worn O-ring can lead to fatal consequences, as we’ve tragically witnessed in the Space Shuttle program. When common acts of courtesy are allowed to fall to the wayside, it can lead to equally damaging effects on our ability to accomplish the mission.
It puzzles me why this is even an issue. We all leave our various forms of basic military training fully aware of and in tune with customs and courtesies.
Throughout our military careers we have the opportunity to “re-blue” ourselves at courses such as Airman Leadership School or Squadron Officer School.
I think a lot of discrepancies are unintentional. We’re busy, and the operations tempo is fast-paced. I know a lot of you go about your business on base with a multitude of personal and work-related issues going through your mind, and your line of sight may lie only a few feet in front of you. However, there is no excuse for failing to follow the rules.
We must all be aware of our duty to do what’s right when it comes to customs and courtesies. If you’re not sure what to do, ask your supervisor, or better yet, do your own research. And if you see someone failing to render proper acts of customs and courtesies, it’s your duty to point it out.
I encourage each of you to ask yourself what kind of role model you are when it comes to customs and courtesies. It’s time to get back to the basics. You are a role model, but it’s up to you to determine your effectiveness and influence.
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If you’re that Airman who pretends to be looking the other way, or even crosses the street, to avoid saluting, I want you to look deep within yourself.
It concerns me that I have noticed a small, but unfortunately visible group who stand apart from the overwhelming majority of USAFE Airmen who willingly and proudly respect military customs and courtesies.
If you are among those who fail to render a salute while exiting the post office because you are too engrossed in a letter from home, you haven’t simply avoided a proper and courteous greeting. You’ve made a deliberate decision to disregard a critical aspect of our military heritage that has evolved as a result of the need for order, mutual respect and discipline.
Adhering to acts of customs and courtesies is not an option, regardless of rank or position. The same rules of obedience and discipline apply just as they do for a maintainer following technical orders required to repair a jet engine. We can’t cherry pick when to salute the staff car of a general officer anymore than that maintainer can decide which TOs he or she feels like following each day.
The failure to tighten a bolt properly or to disregard the urgency of replacing a worn O-ring can lead to fatal consequences, as we’ve tragically witnessed in the Space Shuttle program. When common acts of courtesy are allowed to fall to the wayside, it can lead to equally damaging effects on our ability to accomplish the mission.
It puzzles me why this is even an issue. We all leave our various forms of basic military training fully aware of and in tune with customs and courtesies.
Throughout our military careers we have the opportunity to “re-blue” ourselves at courses such as Airman Leadership School or Squadron Officer School.
I think a lot of discrepancies are unintentional. We’re busy, and the operations tempo is fast-paced. I know a lot of you go about your business on base with a multitude of personal and work-related issues going through your mind, and your line of sight may lie only a few feet in front of you. However, there is no excuse for failing to follow the rules.
We must all be aware of our duty to do what’s right when it comes to customs and courtesies. If you’re not sure what to do, ask your supervisor, or better yet, do your own research. And if you see someone failing to render proper acts of customs and courtesies, it’s your duty to point it out.
I encourage each of you to ask yourself what kind of role model you are when it comes to customs and courtesies. It’s time to get back to the basics. You are a role model, but it’s up to you to determine your effectiveness and influence.