What's so wrong with "bleeding blue?"

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Francisco Zamorano
  • Sgt. Paul P. Ramoneda Airman Leadership School Commandant
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  As the Airman Leadership School commandant, I have the opportunity to mentor and learn from our next generation's leaders. 

While at ALS, the students encounter 4.5 weeks of rigorous leadership training. In fact, the course's rigor is by design and evaluated by the Community College of the Air Force when validating accreditation. 

All while learning about doctrine, leadership philosophy and what type of leader they will be, students are learning interpersonal skills. From the start, they are grouped into a flight of 12 total force Airmen. Using those interpersonal skills, Airmen figure out how to transform their group into a dynamic team. I tell you that to highlight our Airmen's leadership journey and the sacrifices they make to become "first time-first line" supervisors.

Basically, we put these young Airmen through the ringer.  In a sense, yes, they are re-blued. Imagine, if you were an ALS student who finally graduated, motivated to lead your own team. You show up to your work center and the first thing you hear is "Oh, this guy just graduated from ALS and is bleeding blue now."  I've heard this comment or some variation of it several times in my career. 

My question to those who don't "bleed blue" is why not?  Why go through the rigamarole of becoming an Airman, which is a feat in itself, taking an oath to defend your country only to have one foot out the door.  In my 16 years of service, I've discovered two types of people: people in the Air Force and Airmen. 

Trust me, these are two very different types of people. Airmen live Air Force core values.  Airmen epitomize integrity; they act with honor and perform fly-fight-win without hesitation. They believe in service before self and understand that this doesn't mean Air Force before your family.  They strive for excellence and incorporate that value in every facet of their life. 

To answer the question, there is absolutely nothing wrong with "bleeding blue." To those who do, do it with conviction and don't ever apologize for it.  To those who aren't quite there yet, it's understandable that it takes time to find your place in the Air Force.

However, while you're figuring that part out, give us 100 percent, wear your uniform proudly and I promise your Air Force won't disappoint.  Airpower.