Integrity defines people, Airmen Published Sept. 28, 2011 By Col. William Pollan 60th Aerospace Medicine Squadron TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Integrity - What is this core value that we in the Air Force embrace as our most essential? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines integrity as "firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values: incorruptibility." But is that all? Is it truly just a moral code or the practice of absolute honesty and truthfulness? Integrity is a more complex concept than its simple definition we need to better understand. The word itself comes from the Latin word Integra and means inner strength. But what is inner strength? When a carpenter looks to purchase a board at a lumberyard, he or she considers the straightness, the spacing of the growth lines, how it balances in hand and if the wood contains defects. Consideration of these individual characteristics and how they relate determines the board's inner strength. This holds true for us as well. We consist of a multitude of parts - strengths, weaknesses, desires and instincts. Our ability to control our weaknesses, desires and instincts and utilize our strengths in service to ourselves and our fellow man is our inner strength. The proper regulation of these parts is what allows us to thrive as a whole and as a person of integrity. When we act from a part of ourselves - a thought, an emotion or a physical desire - we act without a sense of the whole and thus lose our integrity. We act without integrity when we let our desires take control and go unchecked. Sometimes examples speak louder than words. If a person has a desire to eat and eats a meal to nourish the body then the body thrives. However, if that same person does not control or regulate that desire and eats without limit, they do harm to their body by becoming obese. The control of the desires allows us to nourish our bodies as a whole without doing it harm. Integrity is the foundation on which our other core values are built. So what does it mean to be a person of integrity and inner strength? It means we listen to our inner voice of self-control. We follow our moral compass, our moral courage and always doing the right thing. As former Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne said "Integrity first reminds us we must 'walk the talk' - our words and actions must be integrated in our lives." An Airman's integrity is essential to the Air Force functioning as a military unit. We rely on that integrity in order to function as a whole to accomplish the mission. We believe so strongly that this value is demonstrated by our fellow airmen that we "bet our lives" on their performance daily. Our Air Force and country demand that we be persons of good character and moral courage. They expect us to do the right thing even when no one is looking. They hold us to a higher standard than the general public. In short they consider integrity to be an essential value of service in the United States Air Force. Our country puts their trust in us as individuals and in our ability to embody this core value as guardians and protectors of their freedom.