Happy New Year and welcome back

  • Published
  • By Col. Thomas Cooper
  • 621st Contingency Response Wing
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Happy New Year. Welcome back from what I hope was an enjoyable holiday spent with family and friends, resting and preparing for another great year as an American Airman.

Most of you probably already came up with one or two personal New Year's resolutions. I thought as the new year begins I'd suggest some professional resolutions.  I won't share my personal resolutions, but they are probably pretty common to all of us.  Instead, I thought I'd share a few resolutions for all Airmen to consider in 2015.

Treat fellow Airmen with dignity and respect. We are a family of Airmen in the world's greatest Air Force. In 2015, we should stand with our fellow Airmen confident in this one common bond that joins us together. We are all different. Our diversity is one of the great strengths of our Air Force but we are all Airmen and, because of that, all Airmen should be treated in a way that respects this bond.

Look for innovative ways to do our missions. As the Air Force enters 2015, it will be the smallest it has been since 1947. Though smaller, the Air Force has the same core missions.  It is up to all of us to find new, more effective, more efficient and cheaper ways to do our missions to keep the Air Force strong.  Our service started with the spirit of men like Hap Arnold, Billy Mitchell and William Tunner. In 2015, we should follow their lead and seek innovative ways to accomplish the Air Force mission.

Recommit to the Air Force Core Values of integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do.   These core values are the enduring foundation of our Air Force family and are increasingly important as we get smaller and busier. We should strengthen our efforts to uphold the core values even when it is not an easy thing to do.

Tell your Air Force story. Each of us has a unique story as an Airman. Sharing our path to the Air Force, our experiences in the Air Force and the things we do outside of the Air Force is important.  Sharing helps us understand the diverse places we come from and strengthen our team. We should share our personal stories with our fellow Airmen and be confident in our role as an Air Force to tell our communities what we do for our nation. Helping the American public understand the contribution of airpower to the defense of the nation has never been more important. While the past decade's wars have primarily been focused on the ground fight, we need to remind the public that their Air Force is prepared, ready, and able to protect our Nation from all threats in the air, space and cyberspace.

I know that most of you already do the things I've listed here but the start of a new year is a good time to refresh these thoughts. I resolve to focus on each of these things as an Airman this year and, of course, my personal ones too. These resolutions can strengthen our Air Force family. Think about what else you can do to strengthen the team this year and if you see me, tell me about them. I'll be your Wingman and help you stick to your resolutions and hope you'll do the same for me. Happy New Year.