Chief reminds Airmen fitness counts Published April 14, 2006 By Chief Master Sgt. Carol Johnson 60th AMW interim command chief TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Air Force implemented our fitness program more than two years ago. We can no longer call this a new program and many of you have embraced this as an opportunity to exercise. The seriousness of fitness in today’s Air Force can’t be over emphasized. The nature of our business is much different than prior years. We’re requiring you to do so much more, with less, and sending you into environments we’ve never done before. Oh and by the way, we don’t want you to get too stressed out either! I had a young staff sergeant tell me he was upset with our current fitness testing. He began to talk about how he was having difficulty passing because of just coming off a profile. He thought the program was “stupid and unnecessary.” I reminded him of the importance of getting into shape and how each of us may need to count on one another’s physical endurance at home station and abroad. I asked him if deployed to Iraq, under attack and had to evade danger how would he feel if someone hindered his ability to avoid danger? We further discussed the fact that “Blue” won’t leave ”Blue” behind no matter what and an unfit person may selfishly be putting others in undue danger. Each of us has got to be able to carry our own weight (no pun intended) when deployed. We must also realize the important benefit of exercise in relationship to stress reduction. With the current operations tempo we are leaving more work centers low manned in-turn creating another stressful environment. Our sister services are depending on us more and more to work beside them doing jobs we aren’t used to--stress. So it is imperative we maintain fitness levels which will help in our ability to cope with situations in front of us. Why am I reiterating information you probably already know? It’s because over the last few weeks the wing has processed numerous separation/retention packages for failure to meet fitness standards. Yes, you can be separated if you don’t meet these standards. Air Force’s policy (AFI 10-248) on this issue is clear. It requires a unit commander to submit a separation/retention package to the installation commander on personnel who receive four “poor” fitness scores in a 24-month period. If you find yourself in this situation you may also find yourself in front of the wing commander explaining why you should be retained. You may find yourself in mandatory fitness training at the most inconvenient times which could disrupt family life. Avoid the added stress, get out there and get fit. When is the last time you went to the fitness center and worked out? I’m told by fitness center staff our numbers are up on gym usage in comparison to two years ago. This shows some are taking the program seriously. Some value the opportunity to stay fit and some just value their Air Force careers. If you fall into this group you obviously have the right motivation. Perhaps you can help someone else get where you are. Take them through your program or develop one for them. We’re not just wingman when it comes to socializing but we should be wingman in all aspects of taking care of each other. So take a moment, look around and find one person you think you can help and be their wingman!