Aspire toward proficiency as an Airman, person

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Charles Monk
  • 621st Contingency Response Wing command chief
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Stop me if you've heard this attitude before: "I wish they would just recognize me for doing my job. I'm tired of people getting recognized for doing a bunch of extra stuff. I'm good at my job, why don't I get recognized?"

The real question is, "What is your job?" If you were employed in the civilian sector, let's say a banker or a construction worker, recognition might be defined as how well you perform a particular skill set. In that instance, how you handle your area of finances or how well you perform a particular construction job. In the Air Force, how do you see that? Are you an Airman or are you the particular skill holder designated by your duty badge or Air Force specialty code? I would argue that you are an Airman who also has been trained in a particular set of skills.

This is a mindset that I feel we need to embrace more fully in the Air Force. Our brothers and sisters in the Marine Corps have done this quite well. Ask one of them what they do for a living and chances are they will not tell you the technical specialty for which the Corps gave them training. They will say that they are a Marine.

So if we are Airmen, what does that mean? Is there a higher calling in that than just performing our special technical skill set? We are first called Airmen in Basic military training. There is a wonderful ceremony at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas, where Airmen get their Airman's coin and are first called Airman instead of trainee. Yet, they have not been trained in their technical skill.

Certainly, we are taught the importance of significant self-improvement during basic training. Physical training comes to mind, as does many hours spent in a classroom learning things from how to fold our clothes to rank structure and chain of command. You have to improve or you are out.

Everyone participates in a graduation parade, right? How easy would it have been if you had not formed as a team during Warrior Week or the basic expeditionary Airmen skills training?

Keep in mind, though, that performing your technical skill is certainly a big part of being an Airman. If you can't perform your primary duties then you are definitely not doing your job as an Airman either. It is excellence in all you do, after all. I contend there is more to what you do than that. The truth is we are training our Airmen to be Airmen. It's just that somewhere along the way, many of us come to think of ourselves as a technician only.

Perhaps our problem is just a turn of a phrase. We need to change from recognizing those who exemplify the whole person to the whole Airman. That one, simple mindset change could launch us all into considering ourselves Airmen first and making our Air Force that much better.