Others' words can help lead

  • Published
  • By Col. Eric Roth
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Judge Judge Advocate Office
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE,Calif. --  I love Travis Air Force Base.

Every day, the men and women who work to make Travis the crown jewel of Air Mobility Command truly inspire me.

Whether we are helping earthquake victims in Haiti, taking the fight to our enemies in Afghanistan or standing ready to assist as we watch the events taking place in the Middle East, when America calls Team Travis answers. Of course, in these times of dwindling budgets, manpower cuts and an unrelenting schedule, this is no easy task.

So how do you keep up the motivation when your country continues to ask of you, when you think you don't have much more to give?

Everybody has their own technique, but I like to rely upon the words of my personal heroes. Perhaps some of these thoughts will resonate with you.

When you are out on the running track and your lungs are about to explode, remember the words of General of the Army Douglass MacArthur, "Upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that upon other fields, on other days, will bear the fruits of victory." Disciplining yourself to push through the pain may just save your life one day in combat.

When you are prepping for an upcoming unit compliance inspection and wonder why "Satisfactory" just isn't good enough, remember what Gen. George Patton said, "Americans love a winner. Americans will not tolerate a loser. Americans despise cowards. Americans play to win all of the time. I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost, nor will ever lose a war; for the very idea of losing is hateful to an American."

If you give 100 percent and come up short - President Theodore Roosevelt said, "It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

When you are deploying remember what President Ronald Reagan said, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."

And final words from General Patton, "All of the real heroes are not storybook combat fighters, either. Every single man in this Army plays a vital role. Don't ever let up. Don't ever think that your job is unimportant. Every man has a job to do and he must do it. Every man is a vital link in the great chain."

Whether you are working in the legal office with me or delivering cargo to troops in combat - all of our jobs are important. Just give 100 percent and be proud of what you do for this great nation - if you do that, Team Travis will continue to shine.