The Moment of Truth

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Christopher C. Abate
  • 60th Comptroller Squadron commander
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  It's 4th-and-goal at the 1-yard line and your team is down 6 points with the game clock about to expire.

This is it, the make or break play of the game. Will your quarterback have the resiliency to overcome the five sacks he's endured throughout the game and score a touchdown or will he throw that "c'mon, man" interception that makes everyone hang their heads in disbelief?

While most of us never will be tested on the National Football League stage, we're routinely tested in the game of life where our individual resiliency ultimately determines the outcome, for better or worse.

This past year has been a constant reminder that while most of us are resilient enough to execute the game plan, some of our friends and co-workers struggle to make the right decision when the game is on the line. Rather than calling a critical timeout to evaluate their situation, they act on impulse without concern for potential consequences.

The biggest challenges lately are alcohol-related incidents that negatively impact our teammates on and off duty. In these cases, taking a 30-second timeout offers you and your wingmen the chance to recognize if your next step is going to be a bad idea, whether it relates to drinking and driving, domestic violence or suicide.

Taking a strategic pause at the "moment of truth" is the crux of the Air Force's resiliency program and provides the foundation for effectively executing the Travis game plan. Commanders routinely augment this resiliency philosophy by advocating that everyone have a plan and be a good wingman. However, this all goes out the window if a teammate gets lost in the heat of the moment and runs the wrong route, causing the team to lose. Before these situations arise, it's imperative that we've conditioned ourselves to call that critical timeout and allow our teammates to help ensure everyone knows the best play to achieve a successful outcome.

There is still much football to be played this year before I hope the New England Patriots hoist the Lombardi Trophy in February. Coach Bill Belichick will certainly continue to emphasize resiliency in his one-game-at-a-time philosophy.

Whether you're a Patriots fan or not, the heart of the matter is that everyone needs to have their head in the game at all times to achieve success and recognize that there is nothing wrong with calling a timeout to prevent disaster. A teammate who makes an ill-advised play and fumbles the ball in the moment of truth can undermine an entire organization. So if it's 4th-and-goal from the 1 and you're about to leave the bar after drinking all night, will you make the right call?