Change is coming, be ready

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Robert Newman
  • 33rd Fighter Wing
Through innovation and adaptability we can come together to help one another while we conquer these tough economic times.

The current budget cuts have forced us to be mindful of how we move forward into the future. Through teamwork and pride in who we are and what we do, we can come through this storm as we have through the many others that we have faced.

Earlier this month, Air Force leadership announced that upwards of $487 billion dollars would be cut from our budget in areas such as force structure, readiness, money and modernization. The tools we will need to survive in the new budget will be innovation and adaptability. We will need innovation to find cost-free improvements in today's fiscally restrictive environment and adaptability to do what must be done to thrive.

We must retain our pride in who we are and what we do. Everyone has seen the bumper stickers saying my son or daughter is in the Air Force. You don't see bumper stickers saying my son works on Wall Street or at First National Bank. We as Americans are proud of our military and their service to our nation and if you embrace that pride, your military career will be more enjoyable.

There are days while serving in the military, where it is almost like being in love and there are others where it seems like we are in prison. We ask each other, "How long you been in?" "When do you get out?" "You in for 20?" If we can harness positivity and a sense of teamwork we can make the Air Force a better place.

We need to focus not only on doing our best, but helping others to do their best as well. Promotions are very important in being your best and they can be like checkers or chess. Sometimes you move one space at a time and maybe jump your opponent and sometimes calculated moves can place someone as an officer or your chief, so it is important we garner our relationships along our career and not focus on how we can beat our competition. Your competition may one day be your boss.

Change is inevitable and we must be ready to adapt and overcome whatever comes our way. Through teamwork we can accomplish more then we can dream of doing alone.

We need to be more aware of those around us and help each other out so as a team we may succeed where an individual may fail. Henrietta Mears once said "the man who keeps busy helping the man below him won't have time to envy the man above him." Take this phrase to heart and the future of the Air Force will be in great hands.