Words of wisdom for newest crop of NCOs

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Michael Williams
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing command chief
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Yesterday, I had the distinct pleasure of being the guest speaker as we hosted our Noncommissioned Officer Induction ceremony. We inducted approximately 97 new staff sergeants into the NCO tier ... congratulations to Team Travis' newest NCOs.

I found myself pondering for several hours, trying to determine the appropriate message to convey to our new NCOs. Think about it - in the mist of manpower reductions, budget constraints, longer deployment tours and a multitude of other challenges our Air Force faces today, what would you have told them? Well my message was simple - the value of people is the one thing I hope they never take for granted. I told them a story of how for centuries great leaders have always recognized the value of people.

In 1863, Col. Joshua Chamberlain was the commanding officer of the 20th Maine Infantry. Just prior to his battle at Gettysburg, approximately 120 men, deserters, were escorted to his camp because they refused to fight. Upon arriving at the camp the escort informed Colonel Chamberlain that his orders are to shoot to kill if the men made an attempt to escape. Later that day, Colonel Chamberlain received orders to preposition his army for battle. Before breaking camp he gathered the 2nd Maine men and said, "All of us volunteered to fight for the union, just as you did. Some came mainly because we were bored at home -- thought this looked like it might be fun. Some came because we were ashamed not to. Many of us came because it was the right thing to do. And all of us have seen men die."

"If you look back through history, you will see men fighting for pay, for women, for some other kind of loot. They fight for land, power, because a king leads them. But we are here for something new. We are an army out to set other men free. America should be free ground - all of it. Not divided by a line between slave state and free - all the way, from here to the Pacific Ocean. No man has to bow. No man born to royalty. Here, we judge you by what you do, not by who your father was. Here, you can be something. Here, is the place to build a home. But it's not the land. There's always more land. It's the idea that we all have value - you and me. So you can pick up your muskets and join me in this fight or you can leave - leave and you won't be shot." All but four men joined him in battle.

As an NCO, as a leader, we must never forget our Airmen are judged by what they do, they all have value and you must always strive for excellence in all that you do. In fact, I once read that "Excellence is the result of caring more than others think is wise, risking more than others think is safe, dreaming more than others think is practical and expecting more than others think is possible."

I wish you the very best on your journey and again welcome you to that elite group of men and women referred to as our NCO Corps. Be safe, make responsible choices, and I'll see you around campus.