Cha-cha-cha Changes

  • Published
  • By Dr. (Col.) Kurt Lambert
  • 349th Medical Group Commander
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Whenever I hear that song by David Bowie, it reminds me of how life is an endless series of changes.

From the moment we are born until the moment we die, our lives are in a perpetual state of change, most good. We go from crawling to walking, from coloring to writing, from grade school to high school and on.

We can experience changes that bring great happiness, such as finding the person you want to marry, getting a promotion in your job or having a new baby, but, even wonderful changes can be stressful.

Sometimes the changes aren't so happy and require us to step back and take a look at our priorities. Sometimes the demands required of an Airman seem beyond our ability to cope. Post-traumatic stress disorder, stress and suicides are rising at an alarming rate in the military. The topic is often treated like the "elephant in the room." We gloss over it, or try to ignore it, because we are uncomfortable talking about it.

But we must talk about. Change is rarely easy, but it is always an opportunity to learn, grow, reflect and move ahead.

As Airmen, join the Air Force knowing that our military careers will be full of change, and, thus, stressful. Admittedly, it's not always a 9-to-5 job. Moves and deployments require not only a change of location, but long duty days, loneliness and stress in personal relationships. We need to remember, too, that our service can be stressful for our families. You joined the Air Force willingly, but your family, most likely, got "drafted."

There is no greater teacher than change, but despite our circumstances, our priorities must be consistent. Soldiers give more than the average American. We give more to our country, our jobs and our families. The things that are required of us are often difficult. Sometimes they even seem impossible.

Stress is a natural part of life. It motivates us to do better, to push ourselves to perform. Each of us has a responsibility to do what we can to stem the rising tide of stress-related military tragedies. In the military, we are brothers and sisters, comrades and companions, helping each other and our families through the most challenging situations.

First sergeants, commanders, supervisors and health care providers are all there to help, but fellow Airmen are often the first link in the chain in detecting stress-related problems. Let's be good Wingmen and look out for one another - stress is the price we pay for what we do, but the cost of losing even one life that can be saved is too high.